扶持

• Pinyin: fú chí
• Hanzi breakdown: 扶 = 扌 (hand radical) + 夫 (man — to support a person with the hand); 持 = 扌 (hand radical) + 寺 (temple/maintain — to hold steadily, to sustain)

Meaning

To support; to prop up; to provide sustained assistance to someone or something in need. Used for both physical support and systemic or policy-based support.

Implies continuous, nurturing support rather than a one-time act. Government usage: 扶持中小企业 (support SMEs), 政策扶持 (policy support). Also used literally for helping the elderly walk. Often collocates with 政策, 资金, 产业. More formal and sustained in implication than 帮助 or 支持.

Examples

1. 地方政府近年出台多项扶持中小微企业的政策，涵盖减税、低息贷款和用地保障，帮助它们稳定经营。 In recent years, local governments have introduced many policies to support small and micro businesses, including tax cuts, low-interest loans, and land guarantees, helping them stay stable.
2. 国家长期扶持偏远地区的传统手工艺，不仅保住了濒危的非遗，也促进了就业结构优化和收入提升。 Long-term state support for traditional crafts in remote areas has not only preserved endangered intangible heritage, but also improved employment structure and raised incomes.
3. 他在事业低谷时，靠家人的精神扶持和朋友的经济援助熬过困境，最终重新找到出发的方向。 When his career was at its lowest point, he got through the hardship with his family's emotional support and friends' financial help, and finally found a new direction.

Usage Guide

Context: policy, economics, social welfare, personal relationships

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 中央财政每年拨款扶持农村特色农业和乡土文化产业，帮助乡村增强自我发展能力。(The central government allocates funds each year to support rural specialty agriculture and local cultural industries, helping villages strengthen their self-development capacity.)
• 这家基金会持续扶持偏远山区的青年艺术家，提供补贴、展演和导师资源。(This foundation continues to support young artists from remote mountain areas, offering subsidies, performance opportunities, and mentor resources.)

Don't Say

• 扶持 and 支持 interchangeably — 支持 is broader and can mean any kind of backing or endorsement; 扶持 specifically implies sustained, hands-on assistance to someone or something that is vulnerable or developing, with a nurturing connotation

Origin & History

扶 (to support with the hands; to help someone walk or stand) + 持 (to hold; to maintain; to sustain) — to hold up and maintain

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal