稍后 (shāo hòu) is an adverb meaning 'a little later' or 'shortly after.' It combines 稍 (shāo), meaning 'slightly' or 'a little,' and 后 (hòu), meaning 'after' or 'later.' Together, they express a short, indefinite delay — not immediate, but not far off either. It’s commonly used in both spoken and written Chinese to indicate that something will happen soon, often in polite or neutral contexts like scheduling, service interactions, or casual plans.

This word is more formal and concise than phrases like 过一会儿 (guò yī huìr) or 一会儿以后 (yī huìr yǐhòu), though all convey similar timing. It frequently appears at the beginning or end of a sentence, and it never takes aspect markers like 了 or 过. Unlike verbs or nouns, 稍后 functions solely as a time adverbial — it cannot serve as a subject or object, nor can it be modified by degree adverbs like 很 or 非常.