ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

to help

bāng
9 strokes · 巾 (cloth radical) + 邦 · HSK 1

Where 帮 comes from

帮 (traditional 幫) = 邦 (state) + 巾 (cloth). It first named the side or upper of a shoe — the part 'at the side' supporting it. From 'being at the side' came the warm modern meaning: to HELP, to back someone up.

帮 in Chinese culture

帮 is 'to help': 帮我 (help me, with 我), 帮你 (help you), and the everyday 帮忙 (bāngmáng) = 'to do a favor / lend a hand'. 请帮我 (please help me) and 你能帮我吗? (can you help me? — reusing 能) are sentences you'll lean on constantly as a learner. 帮 also means a group/gang (帮派). At heart, 帮 is about standing at someone's side — exactly what help is.

Example

帮我 bāng wǒ — help me

你能帮我吗?
Nǐ néng bāng wǒ ma?
Can you help me?

How to remember it

Standing at the side (like a shoe's upper) — to HELP, to back up.

帮忙 ('help-busy') is the everyday 'to do someone a favor'. 你能帮我吗? ('Can you help me?') reuses 能 (can) and 吗 (?) — a whole sentence from pieces you know.

Same sound, different tones

1st bāng
to help
3rd bǎng
to tie up
4th bàng
great / a stick

Words unlocked by 帮

帮我 bāng wǒ
help me
帮忙 bāngmáng
to lend a hand
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