Comparing "deng" and "dengdeng"

等 (děng) and 等等 (děngděng) both mean “and so on” or “etc.” Both can be used in formal and in informal contexts. While they can often be used interchangeably, only 等 comes before nouns.

B1HSK4ASV4567

	等 (děng)	等等 (děngděng)
Meaning	and so on, etc.	and so on, etc.
Part of Speech	auxiliary	auxiliary
Formality	flexible	flexible

:Yes

Both 等 and 等等 be used at the end of a sentence

They both mean "et cetera" or "and so on" in this usage. Either one is fine. Aside from the end of a sentence, it's also OK to use both before a mid-sentence comma.

• 她 喜欢的 运动 有 游泳、跑步、瑜伽 等。 Tā xǐhuan de yùndòng yǒu yóuyǒng, pǎobù, yújiā děng .Her favorite sports are swimming, running, yoga, etc.
• 这个 动物园 里 有 很 多 野生 动物 ， 老虎 、狮子 等等 。 Zhège dòngwùyuán lǐ yǒu hěn duō yěshēng dòngwù, lǎohǔ, shīzi, děngděng.This zoo has many wild animals, such as tigers, lions, etc.
• 饺子 、 包子 、 面 等 ， 我 都 喜欢 吃。 Jiǎozi, bāozi, miàn děng , wǒ dōu xǐhuan chī.I like to eat stuff like dumplings, dumplings, noodles, etc.
• 这个 房子 有 很 多 东西 ： 电视 、 电脑 、 电冰箱 等等 。 Zhège fángzi yǒu hěn duō dōngxi ： diànshì, diànnǎo, diànbīngxiāng děngděng .The house has a lot of stuff in it: TV, computer, refrigerator, and so on.
• 明天 我 要 去 骑行， 我 需要 准备 很 多 东西 ， 比如 说 自行车 ， 头盔 和 吃 的 东西 等等 。 Míngtiān wǒ yào qù qí xíng, wǒ xūyào zhǔnbèi hěn duō dōngxi, bǐrú shuō zìxíngchē, tóukuī hé chī de dōngxī děngděng.Tomorrow I am going for a ride and I need to prepare a lot of things, such as a bike, helmet and food.
• 我 喜欢 看 小说、电影、纪录片等等。 Wǒ xǐhuan kàn xiǎoshuō, diànyǐng, jìlùpiàn, děngděng .I like to read novels, movies, documentaries, and so on.
• 我们 公司的 优势 是 什么？我们 有 政府的 支持，我们 有 不加班的 文化，我们 有 有趣的 同事，等等。 Wǒmen gōngsī de yōushì shì shénme? wǒmen yǒu zhèngfǔ de zhīchí, wǒmen yǒu bù jiābān de wénhuà, wǒmen yǒu yǒuqù de tóngshì, děngděng .What are the strengths of our company? We have the support of the government, we have a culture of no overtime, we have interesting colleagues, and so on.

Note on punctuation: a comma sometimes precedes 等等 but not 等.

Only 等 can be used in the middle of a sentence

等 can come in the middle of a sentence, either before a comma (where it means "etc.") or before a noun which explains what types of things one is listing. The 等 also normally implies that there are others not listed.

• 我 去 过 法国、英国、泰国 等 国家。 Wǒ qù guo Fǎguó, Yīngguó, tàiguó děng guójiā.I have been to France, England, Thailand and other countries.
• 这个 列车 终点站 是 深圳，我们 会 路过 石家庄、郑州、武汉、长沙 等 地方。 Zhège lièchē zhōngdiǎn zhàn shì Shēnzhèn, wǒmen huì lùguò Shíjiāzhuāng, Zhèngzhōu, Wǔhàn, Chángshā děng dìfang.This train ends in Shenzhen, we will pass through Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Changsha and other places.
• 我们 公司 有 采购部 、 财务 部 、 销售 部 和 人事 部 等 部门 。 Wǒmen gōngsī yǒu cǎigòubù, cáiwù bù, xiāoshòu bù hé rénshì bù děng bùmén.Our company has procurement, finance, sales and HR departments, among others.

Occasionally you'll also see 等 after a list of things even when all have been listed, and no "etc." is technically needed:

• 联合国 有 汉语、英语、法语、俄语、西班牙语、阿拉伯语 等 六 种 工作 语言。 Liánhéguó yǒu Hànyǔ, Yīngyǔ, Fǎyǔ, Éyǔ, Xībānyáyǔ, Ālābóyǔ děng liù zhǒng gōngzuò yǔyán.The United Nations has six working languages: Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, and Arabic.

Sources and further reading

Books

• 《对外汉语教学语法》 齐沪扬 复旦大学出版社 第149页

Websites

• 等和等等有什么区别
• 助词“等等”前面该如何使用标点符号？