Et cetera: 等 / 等等
助词 / particles
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
等 and 等等 (děng děng) go at the end of a list: "etc., and so on".
- 等 can be followed by a summarising noun or a number that closes the list: 春节、中秋节、端午节等三个节日 (the three festivals: Spring, Mid-Autumn and Dragon Boat).
- 等等 is mostly used at the end of a sentence, meaning the list goes on.
List items are separated by the enumeration comma 、 (顿号).
Examples
春节的时候，人们贴春联、放鞭炮、吃饺子等等。
Chūnjié de shíhou, rénmen tiē chūnlián, fàng biānpào, chī jiǎozi děng děng.At Spring Festival, people put up couplets, set off firecrackers, eat dumplings and so on.
中秋节、端午节等节日都有很长的历史。
Zhōngqiū Jié, Duānwǔ Jié děng jiérì dōu yǒu hěn cháng de lìshǐ.Festivals such as Mid-Autumn and Dragon Boat all have a long history.
我去过北京、上海、西安等城市。
Wǒ qù guo Běijīng, Shànghǎi, Xīān děng chéngshì.I've been to cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an.
Common mistakes
✗ 我喜欢苹果，香蕉，等等。 → use the 顿号 in lists. ✓ 我喜欢苹果、香蕉等等。
✗ 等 after a single item: ✗ 我吃了饺子等 → list at least two, or say 什么的 in casual speech.