服侍 (fú shì) — to attend to, to serve (elderly, sick, etc.)

Definition

服侍 (fú) means to personally attend to and care for someone — typically the elderly, sick, or a master — emphasizing hands-on physical service rather than just serving customers. Stronger and more intimate than 服务, which is general 'to serve'.

verb
to attend toto serve (elderly, sick, etc.)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 服侍。
    Tā měi tiān zài jiā fú shì nián mài de fù mǔ.
    He attends to his elderly parents at home every day.
  • 服侍。
    Hù shi hěn nài xīn dì fú shì bìng rén.
    The nurse patiently serves the patients.
  • ，服侍。
    Jiù shè huì lǐ, pú rén bì xū xiǎo xīn fú shì zhǔ rén.
    In old society, servants had to carefully wait upon their masters.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

服fúserve
侍shìserve

服 and 侍 both mean to serve or attend, together to wait upon someone.

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
凡凡fántray
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠬝
𠬝𠬝服fú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 服, the part 𠬝 was the original picture for 'to subdue'; the added left part 凡, a tray, later changed shape.

Open 服 →

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
⺅Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì侍shì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

侍 has 人 (person) paired with 寺, which gives the sound.

Open 侍 →
Appears in
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