衬托 (chèn tuō) means 'to set off by contrast' — it highlights one thing by placing it next to a different thing, like a black dress making skin look fairer. It is more general than 烘托 (hōng tuō), which is used in artistic or literary contexts (e.g., painting, writing) to emphasize a subject through surrounding elements. 烘 (hōng) alone is less common in this sense and usually appears in compounds.