稍候
shāohòu · HSK 7
Wait a moment
⏳ 稍 (a bit) + 候 (to wait) = wait a bit; 候 also shows up in 时候 (time)
稍 means slightly or a little, and 候 means to wait or await. Stacked together they literally read as wait a little. The 候 here is the same character as in 时候 (shíhou, a point in time), tying the idea of waiting to a moment of time.
稍 — grain 禾 + small 肖
A semantic-phonetic compound. The grain radical 禾 hints at the meaning, while 肖 (xiào) supplies the sound. Originally describing a small tip of grain, 稍 broadened to mean 'tip' or 'slightly,' and is now mostly used as the adverb 'a little, somewhat.'