‘等车’ literally means ‘wait for a vehicle’ — ‘等’ (děng) means ‘to wait’, and ‘车’ (chē) means ‘vehicle’, most commonly a bus, train, taxi, or subway. Together, they form a common verb phrase describing the everyday action of waiting at a stop, station, or curb for public or private transport. It’s neutral in register and used frequently in spoken and written Chinese when discussing commuting, travel plans, or daily schedules.

This phrase is typically used intransitively (no object required), though you can specify the vehicle type with a modifier (e.g., 等公交车 ‘wait for the bus’) or location (e.g., 在车站等车 ‘wait for a vehicle at the station’). Unlike English, Chinese doesn’t require an article before ‘车’ — context makes it clear whether you mean a specific or general vehicle. It’s rarely used abstractly; it always refers to concrete, real-world transportation waiting.