求助 (qiú zhù) — to seek help, to appeal for help | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

求助 is a neutral 'seek help' — broader than 求救 (used in emergencies) and softer than 哀求 (earnest pleading). It works for any situation, from asking a friend to an online forum.

verb

to seek helpto appeal for help

Examples

，求助。
Yù dào kùn nan shí, nǐ kě yǐ xiàng péng you qiú zhù.
When you encounter difficulties, you can ask friends for help.
求助，。
Tā zài wǎng shàng qiú zhù, hěn kuài dé dào le huí fù.
He sought help online and quickly got a reply.
求助。
Zhèng fǔ hū yù gōng mín bú yào qīng yì qiú zhù.
The government calls on citizens not to ask for help lightly.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

求 means seek and 助 means help, together describing asking for help.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

求 began as a drawing of a centipede.

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

且力助

Meaning part形符xíngfú

力力lìstrong arm

Sound part声符shēngfú

且

且qiě助zhù

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

助 pairs 力, a strong arm, with 且, which gives the sound; the meaning is help with strength.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 Communication & Speech

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