| 以期 | yǐ qī | in order to / hoping to / attempting to / waiting for |  |
| 眼巴巴 | yǎn bā bā | waiting anxiously / impatient |  |
| 守株待兔 | shǒu zhū dài tù | lit. to guard a tree-stump, waiting for rabbits (idiom) / to wait idly for opportunities / to trust to chance rather than show initiative | |
| 候车室 | hòu chē shì | waiting room (for train, bus etc) | |
| 备取 | bèi qǔ | to be on the waiting list (for admission to a school) | |
| 候诊 | hòu zhěn | waiting to see a doctor / awaiting treatment | |
| 坐冷板凳 | zuò lěng bǎn dèng | to hold an inconsequential job / to receive a cold reception / to be kept waiting for an assignment or audience / to be out in the cold / to be sidelined / to warm the bench / to cool one's heels | |
| 候诊室 | hòu zhěn shì | waiting room (at clinic, hospital) | |
| 整装待发 | zhěng zhuāng dài fā | to get ready (for a journey) / ready and waiting | |
| 束手就擒 | shù shǒu jiù qín | hands tied and waiting to be captured | |
| 引而不发 | yǐn ér bù fā | to pull the bow without shooting (idiom from Mencius) / ready and waiting for action / to go through the motions / to practice / a trial run | |
| 百废待举 | bǎi fèi dài jǔ | many things waiting to be done (idiom) / a thousand things to do | |
| 眼穿肠断 | yǎn chuān cháng duàn | waiting anxiously (idiom) | |
| 翘足引领 | qiáo zú yǐn lǐng | waiting on tiptoes and craning one's neck (idiom) / to look forward eagerly / to long for / also pr. [qiao4 zu2 yin3 ling3] | |
| 遵时养晦 | zūn shí yǎng huì | to bide one's time, waiting for an opportunity to stage a comeback in public life (idiom) | |
| 百废待兴 | bǎi fèi dài xīng | many things waiting to be done (idiom) / a thousand things to do | |
| 候缺 | hòu quē | waiting for a vacancy | |
| 好饭不怕晚 | hǎo fàn bù pà wǎn | the meal is remembered long after the wait is forgotten / the good things in life are worth waiting for | |
| 守株待兔，缘木求鱼 | shǒu zhū dài tù , yuán mù qiú yú | to guard a tree-stump, waiting for rabbits, and climb a tree to catch fish (idiom) / without any practical course of action | |
| 来电等待 | | call waiting | |
| 干等 | gān děng | to wait in vain / to sit around waiting | |
| 候补名单 | hòu bǔ míng dān | waiting list | |
| 等待时间 | děng dài shí jiān | waiting time / (computing) latency | |
