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获救 (huò jiù) — to be rescued, to be saved (from danger/death/disaster)

Definition

获救 is a formal written verb meaning 'to be rescued' — used for people pulled out of danger, disaster, or near-death. Less common in everyday speech than the casual 救命.

verb
to be rescuedto be saved (from danger/death/disaster)

Examples

  • ，获救。
    Jīng guò shí gè xiǎo shí de jiù yuán, tā men zhōng yú huò jiù le.
    After ten hours of rescue, they were finally saved.
  • 。
    Tā zài nà cì shì gù zhōng huò guò liǎng cì jiù.
    He was rescued twice in that accident.
  • ，获救。
    Rú guǒ méi yǒu rén lái jiù yuán, tā men jiù bú huì huò jiù.
    If nobody comes to rescue, they won't be saved.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

获huòobtain
救jiùrescue

获救 combines 获 (obtain) with 救 (rescue), giving the sense of being rescued.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 獲; 获 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犭Written in full as犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
蒦
蒦huò獲huò
Same sound today

The traditional form 獲 combines 犭 (dog) with 蒦, a sound part, to show catching animals with a dog. The simplified 获 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical components.

Open 获 →

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
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
求
求qiú救jiù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 救, 求 gives the sound, and 攴 is the action part.

Open 救 →
Appears in
Safety & Danger

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