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求援 (qiú yuán) — to seek help, to ask for assistance (especially in an emergency)

Definition

'To ask for help or reinforcements,' usually in urgent or serious situations (emergencies, military, crisis). Stronger and more formal than 求助, which is used for everyday help-seeking.

verb
to seek helpto ask for assistance (especially in an emergency)

Examples

  • ，求援。
    Yù dào kùn nan shí, wǒ men cháng cháng xiàng bié rén qiú yuán.
    When we encounter difficulties, we often seek help from others.
  • 。
    Tā xiàng wǒ qiú guò yí cì yuán.
    He asked me for help once.
  • ，求援。
    Zài jǐn jí qíng kuàng xià, wǒ men bì xū lì jí qiú yuán.
    In an emergency, we must seek help immediately.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

求qiúseek
援yuánhelp; aid

求 means to seek and 援 means help or aid, so the term means to seek 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.

Open 求 →

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
爰
爰yuán援yuán
Same sound today

In 援, the left 扌 (written fully as 手) is a hand, and the right 爰 tells you how it sounds.

Open 援 →
Appears in
Safety & Danger

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