幫 (bāng) - Help, assist, aid & support

幫Tone 1

bāng ｜ 17 strokes ｜ radical:

傲不

幫 · bāng

Help, assist, aid;

support;

gang, group;

side (of an object);

to serve as a substitute.

Help, assist, aidsupportgang, group

Usage highlights

HelpGangAssistantHelperSupportAid

Synonyms

  • 助— to help, assist
  • 协— to cooperate, assist
  • 辅— to assist, supplement

Antonyms

  • 害— to harm, damage
  • 阻— to hinder, obstruct

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Please help me (帮我).
  • He is part of a gang (帮派).
  • I need assistance (帮助).
  • The assistant helped the customer (帮工).

Collocations

  • Help(帮助)
  • Gang(帮派)
  • Assistant(帮手)
  • Helper(帮工)
  • Support(帮忙)
  • Aid(帮补)

Idioms

  • To help a tyrant do evil(助纣为虐 / 为虎作伥)
  • To lend a helping hand(帮一把)
  • Band together to form a clique(拉帮结派)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally referred to the upper part of a shoe, later extended to mean assistance and groups.
  • In historical contexts, '帮' often referred to trade guilds or secret societies.
  • The character appears in the name of the Qing Dynasty secret society 'Triad Society' (天地会), also known as Hongmen (洪门).

FAQ