助

zhù
verb #4,744

Meanings

  1. 1 to help; to assist
  2. 2 to aid; to support

Examples

HSK 2
Xièxie nǐ de bāngzhù.
Thank you for your help.
HSK 4
Hùxiāng bāngzhù hěn zhòngyào.
Helping each other is important.
HSK 5
Zhège gōngjù yǒuzhùyú xuéxí.
This tool is helpful for studying.

Tips

usage
助 is used in: 帮助 (to help), 助手 (assistant), 有助于 (to be helpful for), 援助 (to aid), 助理 (assistant/aide). It is a formal/literary alternative to 帮 in some contexts.

Components

radical
力 lì
strength; force
Right indexing radical 力 (strength) - pictograph of a flexed arm or plowing tool. The strength radical anchors 助 in the family of effort verbs alongside 努 (exert), 劳 (labor), 加 (add). Adding strength to someone's effort is the core picture of "to help."
phonetic
且 qiě
moreover (here phonetic)
Left 且 supplies the sound - qiě and zhù share an Old Chinese onset that drifted apart in modern Mandarin. 且 originally pictured a stacked altar tablet, lending a faint sense of "piling up support." Same phonetic family: 阻, 祖, 组, 租, 宜.

Stroke Order

助 zhù