抢救

• Pinyin: qiǎng jiù
• Hanzi breakdown: 抢 = 扌+ 仓, to grab/rush; 救 = 求 + 攵, to save/rescue

Meaning

To rescue; to save; emergency treatment. Urgent action to save life or prevent disaster.

Medical context: 紧急抢救 (emergency resuscitation), 抢救室 (emergency room). Extended uses: 抢救文物 (salvage cultural relics), 抢救数据 (recover data). Implies race against time.

Examples

1. 医生们正在全力抢救这位病人。 Doctors are doing everything they can to save this patient.
2. 消防员冲进火场抢救被困人员。 Firefighters rushed into the fire to rescue trapped people.
3. 经过三个小时的抢救，病人终于脱离了危险。 After three hours of emergency treatment, the patient finally escaped danger.

Usage Guide

Context: medical, emergency, disaster

Tone: urgent

Do Say

• 病人正在抢救中。(The patient is undergoing emergency treatment.)
• 抢救及时，他才保住了性命。(Timely rescue saved his life.)

Don't Say

• 我抢救了我的手机。(For objects, use 救回/挽救 — 抢救 implies life-threatening situations)

Origin & History

抢 (qiǎng, to grab/rush) + 救 (jiù, to save). To rush to save; emergency rescue.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal