This study examined different shades of meaning that a single word may have in Chinese in an effort to better understand the relationship between language and culture. An understanding of the exact meaning of Chinese words and expressions can greatly assist non-Chinese in understanding both the language and the society as a whole. A total of 102 students from National Chengchi University and National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei participated in the study. The students were given short vignettes to read which contained the Chinese morpheme "dai," which can mean "to watch,""to wait," or "to be ready." They were then asked to identify if the action portrayed in the vignette really reflects the meaning of the word. Results indicated that students identified dai most strongly in vignettes that combined all three meanings or the latter two meanings. The vignette which illustrated only the meaning "to wait" was identified as least representative of "dai." The results suggest that the word "dai" is not equivalent to the English word "wait," and is in fact much more active, emphasizing watching and readiness. Four appendixes provide copies of the questions and answer sheets in both Chinese and English. Contains 51 references. (MDM)