助 (zhù): to help, to assist
助 (zhù) is a Chinese character meaning “to help.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 且 (phonetic) and 力 (semantic). It ranks #607 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 助 strength. Its radical form 力 (power) appears in many related characters such as 动 (dòng, (of sth) to move), 力 (lì, power), 办 (bàn, to take care of (a matter)).
Definitions
- to help
- to assist
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 助 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 助
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 帮助verb | bāng zhù | assistance | 3 |
| 助手noun | zhù shǒu | assistant | 6 |
| 助理adjective/noun | zhù lǐ | assistant | 6 |
| 协助verb | xié zhù | to provide assistance | 6 |
| 求助verb | qiú zhù | to request help | 6 |
| 救助verb | jiù zhù | to help sb in trouble | 6 |
| 有助于verb | yǒu zhù yú | to contribute to | 5 |
| 辅助 | fǔ zhù | to assist | 6 |
| 借助verb | jiè zhù | to draw support from | 6 |
| 自助verb | zì zhù | self-service | 6 |
| 互助verb | hù zhù | to help each other | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 赞助 | zàn zhù | to support |
| 资助 | zī zhù | to subsidize |
| 援助 | yuán zhù | to help |
| 无助 | wú zhù | helpless |
| 自助餐 | zì zhù cān | buffet |
| 赞助商 | zàn zhù shāng | sponsor |
| 捐助 | juān zhù | to donate |
| 补助 | bǔ zhù | to subsidize |
| 助教 | zhù jiào | teaching assistant |
| 有助 | yǒu zhù | helpful |
| 助产 | zhù chǎn | to help a mother give birth |
| 助攻 | zhù gōng | (military) to mount a secondary attack |
| 爱莫能助 | ài mò néng zhù | unable to help however much one would like to (idiom) |
| 助长 | zhù zhǎng | to encourage |
| 助听器 | zhù tīng qì | hearing aid |
助 appears in 100 compound words: 38 as the first character, 35 as the last, and 27 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 助 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (20)
Showing 12 of 20 idioms containing 助.
Example Sentences
这个计划已经成形，下周就可以开始实施了。
Zhè gè jìhuà yǐjīng chéngxíng, xià zhōu jiù kěyǐ kāishǐ shíshī le.
This plan has taken shape and can be implemented starting next week.
米兰大教堂雕像 赞助修复便可有条件借展
mǐ lán dà jiào táng diāo xiàng zàn zhù xiū fù biàn kě yǒu tiáo jiàn jiè zhǎn
Statues of Milan Cathedral can be loaned conditionally if they sponsor the restoration
(新春走基层)助产士守护第一批“小马驹”:我在新年迎新生
( xīn chūn zǒu jī céng ) zhù chǎn shì shǒu hù dì yī pī xiǎo mǎ 驹 : wǒ zài xīn nián yíng xīn shēng
Midwives guard the first batch of "little foals": I welcome new students in the New Year
跨越八百里守护 湘雅医院助超早产三胞胎平安回家团圆
kuà yuè bā bǎi lǐ shǒu hù 湘 yǎ yī yuàn zhù chāo zǎo chǎn sān bāo tāi píng ān huí jiā tuán yuán
Spanning 800 miles to protect Xiangya Hospital to help the ultra-premature triplets return home safely and reunite
...一暖心事!流浪28年,盐城阜宁东站派出所助流..
. . . yī nuǎn xīn shì ! liú làng nián , yán chéng 阜 nìng dōng zhàn pā chū suǒ zhù liú . .
... A heartwarming event! After 28 years of wandering, Yancheng Funing East Railway Station police station...
...行 温暖糖球会——青岛公交2路青年党团员助..
. . . háng wēn nuǎn táng qiú huì qīng dǎo gōng jiāo lù qīng nián dǎng tuán yuán zhù . .
... Warm Sugar Ball--Qingdao Bus No.2 Youth Party Members Hel...
你打算帮助他们吗？
Nǐ dǎsuàn bāngzhù tāmen ma?
Are you planning to help them?
你能在放学后帮助我们吗？
Nǐ néng zài fàngxuéhòu bāngzhù wǒmen ma?
Could you help us after school?
你不能做些事来帮助我吗？
Nǐ bù néng zuò xiē shì lái bāngzhù wǒ ma?
Can't you do something to help me?
您需要我们的协助吗？
Nín xūyào wǒmen de xiézhù ma?
Do you need our assistance?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 助 (zhù) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 助 and 姐?
How many strokes does 助 have?
What is the radical of 助?
What are the components of 助?
What are common words containing 助?
What characters sound the same as 助 (zhù)?
Is 助 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 助 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.