伺候 (cì hou) — to serve, to attend to (sb. with care) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

伺候 means to serve or attend to someone with hands-on care (feeding, bathing, tending a patient). It is more personal and deferential than 照顾 ('look after') and implies serving a superior or dependent, unlike 服务 which is neutral/commercial.

verb

to serveto attend to (sb. with care)

Examples

伺候。
Tā měi tiān nài xīn dì cì hou shēng bìng de mǔ qīn.
She patiently attends to her sick mother every day.
伺候。
Zhè wèi pú rén cì hou le zhǔ rén yí bèi zi.
This servant served his master for a lifetime.
伺候。
cì hou Bìng rén xū yào jí dà de nài xīn.
Caring for patients requires enormous patience.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

伺sìwatch/serve

“伺” and “候” both involve watching and attending, together meaning to serve or wait upon.

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

人人rénperson, man

Sound part声符shēngfú

司

司sī伺cì

Same sound today

伺 combines 人, a person, with 司, which is used for its sound. The shape shows a person standing beside someone to attend or look in.

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

亻Written in full as人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

矦

矦hóu候hòu

Same sound today

候 combines 亻, relating to people, with 矦, which gives the sound.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Daily Routine

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