扶

fú

verb HSK 5 #3,791

Meanings

1 to support with the hand; to help sb up
2 to hold onto for support

Characters

扶

fú

to support with the hand; to help up

Examples

他扶着老奶奶过马路。

Tā fú zhe lǎonǎinai guò mǎlù.

He helped the old lady cross the road.

请扶好扶手。

Qǐng fú hǎo fúshǒu.

Please hold onto the handrail.

她摔倒了，我赶紧把她扶起来。

Tā shuāidǎo le, wǒ gǎnjǐn bǎ tā fú qǐlái.

She fell down, and I quickly helped her up.

Tips

culture

扶老人 (helping up a fallen elderly person) became a controversial topic in China after several cases where good Samaritans were falsely accused of causing the fall — leading to the social dilemma '扶不扶?' (to help or not to help?).

usage

扶手 (fúshǒu) = handrail/armrest. 搀扶 (chānfú) = to support by the arm (more literary).

Components

radical

扌 shǒu

hand

Hand radical on the left, the side-form of 手 — anchors 扶 in the family of hand-action verbs: 持 hold, 抱 hug, 接 receive, 推 push, 拉 pull, 拿 take. Supporting an elderly person, helping someone up, holding onto a banister — all hand-based actions of physical assistance.

phonetic

夫 fū

adult man; husband

Right side 夫 supplies the sound — fū → fú with only a tone shift. 夫 depicts an adult man with a hairpin marking his coming-of-age, so 'hand + capable adult' adds a faint echo: the supporting hand of a strong helper. Same phonetic in 肤 fū (skin), 麸 fū (bran), 芙 fú (lotus).

Stroke Order

扶 fú

扶