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Meaning Index

Chinese characters meaning "to assist"

Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to assist", including 助 (zhù), 协 (xié), 帮 (bāng), 救 (jiù), 援 (yuán), 辅 (fǔ). Study pinyin, English meanings…

How to Study This Meaning Group

The English word "to assist" covers 6 different Chinese characters — 助 (zhù), 协 (xié), 帮 (bāng), 救 (jiù), 援 (yuán), 辅 (fǔ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 6 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zhù, xié, bāng, jiù, yuán, fǔ — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 助 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.

  • 助 zhùto help; to assistUseful words: 帮助, 赞助
  • 协 xiécooperate; harmonize; to help; to assist; to joinUseful words: 协议, 协调
  • 帮 bāngto assist; to support; to help; group; gang; partyUseful words: 帮忙, 帮助
  • 救 jiùto save; to assist; to rescueUseful words: 抢救, 救护车
  • 援 yuánto help; to assist; to aidUseful words: 支援, 救援

Common words for these 6 "to assist" characters

Anchor each of these 6 characters in a word you can picture — start with 助 (zhù) — so "to assist" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.

See each character in a sentence

Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 6 ways to say "to assist".

zhù — to help; to assist

谢谢你的帮助。Xiè xie nǐ de bāng zhù.Thank you for your help.

Common words: 帮助 (bāng zhù)、赞助 (zàn zhù)、助理 (zhù lǐ)

xié — cooperate; harmonize; to help; to assist; to join

完成这项任务需要大家的协作。Wán chéng zhè xiàng rèn wu xū yào dà jiā de xié zuò.Completing this task requires everyone cooperation.

Common words: 协议 (xié yì)、协调 (xié tiáo)、协议书 (xié yì shū)

bāng — to assist; to support; to help; group; gang; party

谢谢你帮我搬桌子。Xiè xie nǐ bāng wǒ bān zhuō zi.Thank you for helping me move the table.

Common words: 帮忙 (bāng máng)、帮助 (bāng zhù)、帮手 (bāng shou)

jiù — to save; to assist; to rescue

消防员勇敢地救出了被困的人。Xiāo fáng yuán yǒng gǎn de jiù chū le bèi kùn de rén.The firefighters bravely rescued the trapped people.

Common words: 抢救 (qiǎng jiù)、救护车 (jiù hù chē)、救灾 (jiù zāi)

yuán — to help; to assist; to aid

危急时刻,大家纷纷伸出援手。Wēi jí shí kè, dà jiā fēn fēn shēn chū yuán shǒu.In times of crisis, everyone reaches out to help.

Common words: 支援 (zhī yuán)、救援 (jiù yuán)、援助 (yuán zhù)

— to assist; to complement; auxiliary

老师课后给我们辅导功课。Lǎo shī kè hòu gěi wǒ men fǔ dǎo gōng kè.The teacher tutors us with our lessons after class.

Common words: 辅助 (fǔ zhù)、辅导 (fǔ dǎo)、相辅相成 (xiāng fǔ xiāng chéng)

All 6 characters

Open 助、协、帮 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.