救急 (jiùjí): to provide emergency assistance

Meanings

1 to provide emergency assistance
2 to help out in a pinch
3 to relieve an urgent need

Characters

救

Examples

他借了我两千块救急。

Tā jiè le wǒ liǎng qiān kuài jiùjí.

He lent me 2,000 yuan to tide me over.

这笔钱是救急用的,不能乱花。

Zhè bǐ qián shì jiùjí yòng de, bù néng luàn huā.

This money is for emergencies — don't spend it carelessly.

Tips

usage

There's a famous Chinese saying: 救急不救穷 (jiùjí bù jiùqióng) — 'help out in a crisis, but don't subsidize chronic poverty'. It captures a common attitude toward lending money: a one-time emergency loan is fine; a permanent handout is a mistake.