慰问金 (wèi wèn jīn) — condolence money; relief money; monetary gift to express sympathy or solicitude

Definition

A monetary gift given to express sympathy or care, typically to disaster victims, bereaved families, or frontline workers. It is the cash form of 慰问 (a visit, gift, or message of solicitude).

noun
condolence moneyrelief moneymonetary gift to express sympathy or solicitude
Measure word · 笔

Examples

  • 慰问金。
    Zhèng fǔ xiàng shòu zāi qún zhòng fā fàng le wèi wèn jīn.
    The government distributed condolence money to the disaster-affected people.
  • 慰问金。
    Gōng sī gěi měi wèi yuán gōng de jiā shǔ sòng qù le wèi wèn jīn.
    The company sent condolence money to each employee's family.
  • 慰问金。
    Zhè bǐ wèi wèn jīn shì yòng yú wèi wèn kàng yì yī xiàn yī hù rén yuán de.
    This condolence money is used to express sympathy to frontline medical workers fighting the epidemic.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

慰问comfort and visit
慰wèicomfort问wènvisit/inquire
联合Side by side
金jīnmoney

慰 and 问 mean to comfort and visit, and 金 is money given for that care.

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
心心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
尉
尉wèi慰⁰wèi
Same sound today

慰 puts 心 (heart) beside 尉 to show a feeling of comfort, while 尉 gives the sound.

Open 慰 →

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 問; 问 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén問wèn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 問 combines 口 (mouth) with 門, which gives the sound; the simplified 问 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 问 →

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

金 was drawn with marks for two pieces of metal, along with a part that gave its sound; it first meant copper, then metals and gold.

Open 金 →

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