抚恤

• Pinyin: fǔ xù
• Hanzi breakdown: 抚 = 扌 + 无 (comfort, console); 恤 = 忄 + 血 (pity, give relief)

Meaning

To comfort and compensate; to provide relief payments or pensions to bereaved families or victims of hardship.

Official government or institutional compensation given to families of soldiers killed in action, workers who died on duty, or disaster victims. More formal than 补偿 and specifically tied to bereavement or extraordinary hardship. 抚恤金 is the specific term for the monetary payment.

Examples

1. 政府为在抗震救灾中牺牲的消防员家属提供了充分的抚恤。 The government provided full bereavement compensation to the families of firefighters who died in the earthquake relief effort.
2. 公司依法对因公殉职员工的家属给予一次性抚恤金。 In accordance with the law, the company gave the family of an employee who died in the line of duty a one-time bereavement payment.
3. 民政部门定期走访并抚恤辖区内的烈属和孤寡老人。 The civil affairs department regularly visits and provides assistance and compensation to the families of martyrs and to elderly people living alone in its jurisdiction.

Usage Guide

Context: government, legal, military

Tone: solemn

Do Say

• 国家对革命烈士的遗孀给予了妥善的抚恤安置。(The state has properly provided comfort and compensation to the widows of revolutionary martyrs.)
• 这笔抚恤金将帮助遇难矿工的家庭渡过难关。(This compensation payment will help the families of the deceased miners get through their difficulties.)

Don't Say

• 抚恤朋友的失落 — 抚恤 is a formal institutional act involving compensation; use 安慰 for comforting a friend emotionally

Origin & History

抚 (comfort/console) + 恤 (sympathize/relieve hardship)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal