救济 (jiù jì) — to provide emergency relief (with cash or goods… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

救济 focuses on giving material/cash aid to people in need (disaster, poverty), while 救援 centers on urgent rescue operations. 救 alone is broader and can mean saving lives, situations, or things.

verb

to provide emergency relief (with cash or goods) to those in need

Examples

救济。
Zhèng fǔ jí shí jiù jì le zāi qū rén mín.
The government promptly provided relief to the people in the disaster area.
救济。
Hóng shí zì zǔ zhī měi nián dōu huì jiù jì shòu nàn zhě.
The Red Cross organization provides relief to the victims every year.
救济。
Tā men jué dìng jiù jì nà xiē shī qù jiā yuán de rén.
They decided to provide relief to those who lost their homes.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

济jìrelieve

救 means to save and 济 means to relieve, naming emergency aid for those in need.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

攴攴pū

Sound part声符shēngfú

求

求qiú救jiù

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 救, 求 gives the sound, and 攴 is the action part.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 濟; 济 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

齊

齊qí濟jì

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 濟 pairs 水 (water) with 齊, which gives the sound; the simplified 济 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Society & Public Life Money & Currency

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