恢复

• Pinyin: huī fù
• Hanzi breakdown: 恢 = 忄(heart) + 灰 (ash, phonetic); 复 = return/repeat

Meaning

To recover; to restore; to resume. Returning to a previous state or condition.

Used for physical recovery from illness, restoration of systems or order, resuming activities, or regaining former status. Can be transitive (restore something) or intransitive (recover on its own).

Examples

1. 手术后他花了三个月才完全恢复健康。 After surgery, it took him three months to fully recover.
2. 系统故障已经排除，服务恢复正常了。 The system failure has been resolved, and service has returned to normal.
3. 经济需要时间才能恢复到疫情前的水平。 The economy needs time to recover to pre-pandemic levels.

Usage Guide

Context: health, technology, business, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你身体恢复得怎么样了？(How is your recovery going?)
• 网络已经恢复正常。(The network has returned to normal.)

Don't Say

• 我恢复了一本书 (恢复 is for restoring states/conditions, not for acquiring objects — use 找回 for retrieving lost items)

Origin & History

Compound of 恢 (to restore, expand) + 复 (to return, repeat), together meaning to return to an original state.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal