排队 (páiduì) — to queue; to line up

排队 (páiduì)

排队 means to join or form an orderly line while waiting for something, and is a fundamental concept in Chinese public life.

Meanings

1. [verb] To queue, to line up, to stand in line, to wait in a queue.

Example Sentences

节假日期间，热门景点的入口处往往需要排队等候数小时。 Jiéjiàrì qījiān, rèmén jǐngdiǎn de rùkǒu chù wǎngwǎng xūyào páiduì děnghòu shù xiǎoshí. During public holidays, popular tourist sites often require waiting in line for several hours at the entrance.

她宁愿提前两小时到，也不想在入场时被迫排队等待。 Tā nìngyuàn tíqián liǎng xiǎoshí dào, yě bù xiǎng zài rùchǎng shí bèi pò páiduì děngdài. She would rather arrive two hours early than be forced to queue when entering.

这家网红餐厅每天都有大批顾客慕名前来排队，有时甚至要等三四个小时。 Zhè jiā wǎnghóng cāntīng měitiān dōu yǒu dàpī gùkè mùmíng qiánlái páiduì, yǒushí shènzhì yào děng sān sì gè xiǎoshí. This viral restaurant attracts large crowds lining up every day, sometimes waiting as long as three or four hours.

在网上预约挂号的系统普及之前，患者不得不亲自到医院排队等待。 Zài wǎngshàng yùyuē guàhào de xìtǒng pǔjí zhīqián, huànzhě bùdé bù qīnzì dào yīyuàn páiduì děngdài. Before online appointment systems became widespread, patients had to go to the hospital in person to queue and wait.

Collocations

Usage Notes

排队 is an extremely practical word in everyday life. The opposite, 插队 (to cut in line), is considered rude and socially unacceptable. In digital contexts, 排队 can also refer to waiting in a virtual queue (网上排队, 系统排队). Note that 排队 is a verb-object compound: 排 (to arrange/line up) + 队 (a line/team), so you cannot insert another object between them.

Memory Hook

排 means "to arrange in a row" and 队 means "a line/team" — arranging yourself into a line is exactly what 排队 means.