复苏

• Pinyin: fù sū
• Hanzi breakdown: 复 = 彳 (step) + 复 phonetic component, meaning 'return'; 苏 = 艹 (grass) + 办 + 鱼, meaning 'to revive'

Meaning

To recover; to revive; to resuscitate. Used for economic recovery, medical resuscitation, or nature coming back to life.

A versatile term spanning medical (心肺复苏 CPR), economic (经济复苏 economic recovery), and natural contexts (万物复苏 all things revive in spring). In economics, it describes the phase after a recession when growth resumes. Medically, it refers to bringing someone back from unconsciousness or cardiac arrest.

Examples

1. 经过两年的调整，房地产市场终于出现了复苏的迹象。 After two years of adjustment, the real estate market is finally showing signs of recovery.
2. 春天来了，大地万物复苏，到处是一片生机勃勃的景象。 Spring has arrived, everything in nature is reviving, and there's a scene of vitality everywhere.
3. 医护人员对患者实施了心肺复苏，成功挽救了他的生命。 The medical staff performed CPR on the patient and successfully saved his life.

Usage Guide

Context: economics, medicine, nature

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 经济正在逐步复苏，失业率开始下降了。(The economy is gradually recovering, and the unemployment rate is starting to drop.)
• 学习心肺复苏技能可以在紧急情况下救人一命。(Learning CPR skills can save lives in emergencies.)

Don't Say

• 说'我的心情复苏了' (Don't use 复苏 for personal mood recovery — it's too formal; use 好起来了 or 恢复了 instead)

Origin & History

Compound of 复 (to return, repeat) + 苏 (to revive, come back to life). 苏 originally depicted grass (艹) coming back to life, combined with 鱼 (fish) suggesting breath returning.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal