慰问

• Pinyin: wèi wèn
• Hanzi breakdown: 慰 = 尉 (officer) + 心 (heart), to comfort; 问 = 门 (door) + 口 (mouth), to ask

Meaning

To express sympathy and solicitude; to extend condolences; to console.

A formal term for visiting or reaching out to someone to show concern, especially those who are sick, bereaved, or have experienced hardship. Common in official contexts when leaders visit workers, soldiers, or disaster victims. More formal than 问候 (greet) or 关心 (care about).

Examples

1. 公司领导专程到医院慰问生病的员工。 Company leadership made a special trip to the hospital to visit sick employees.
2. 春节期间，政府官员到基层慰问一线工人。 During Spring Festival, government officials visited frontline workers at the grassroots level.
3. 我们收到了来自各方的慰问信和慰问品。 We received letters of sympathy and care packages from all quarters.

Usage Guide

Context: official, workplace, ceremonies

Tone: sympathetic

Do Say

• 慰问信。(Letter of condolence/sympathy.)
• 前往慰问。(Go to express sympathy.)

Don't Say

• 慰问朋友生日快乐 — 慰问 is for expressing sympathy in difficult times; use 祝福 for celebrations

Origin & History

Compound of 慰 (comfort/console) + 问 (ask/inquire), meaning to comfort by visiting and asking about someone's condition.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal