等待 vs 等候 - dengdai vs denghou Sorry guys, but here is another instance to two very similar verbs, both meaning 'to wait for sth'.
等待: you can 等待 for 比赛结果/六年/这个天/孩子的降生
等候: you can 等候 for 出租车/飞机的旅客/两个小时/客人/上级的命令
There doesn't seem to be an obvious difference...
Anyone got any insights here? Thanks in advance,
Hashamyim
Simple answer is : they are interchangeable
Both 等待 and 等候 are compound word verb with the same meaning, just coined differently

等 = wait; 待 = stay
等待 = stay (passively) and wait (for thing to happen or people to come) = 'to wait'

~

等 = wait; 候 = wait/ expect
等候 = wait and expect (thing to happen or people to come)= 'to wait'

As of the minor difference in usage:
Since the component 候 has the meaning of (expect), whatever you 等候(wait for) is very likely to happen. e.g. 等候春天到来 (waiting for the arrival of spring)- Spring will certainly come
While things you 等待 (wait for) may or may not happen,
For example:
等待春天到来 (waiting for the arrival of spring) - Spring will certainly come
等待耶稣再臨 (waiting for Jesus to come again) - Jesus  may or may not come again, so just wait and see
If you say 等候耶稣再臨, then you are kind of expecting he will.