回馈

• Pinyin: huí kuì
• Hanzi breakdown: 回 (return); 馈 = 饣+ 鬼 (food radical + ghost figure, originally to offer food as a gift)

Meaning

To give back; to repay; to reciprocate. To return value, gratitude, or support to someone who has given something.

Conveys the idea of returning what one has received — giving back to society, rewarding loyal customers, or reciprocating kindness. It has a positive and generous connotation. Common in business (customer rewards), philanthropy, and social discourse.

Examples

1. 这家企业每年都会拿出一部分利润用于公益事业，以回馈社会和当地社区。 Every year, the company sets aside part of its profits for charitable work to give back to society and the local community.
2. 为感谢长期支持，公司推出了一系列专属优惠活动，以此回馈忠实客户。 To thank people for their long-term support, the company launched a series of exclusive promotions as a way to reward loyal customers.
3. 她深知自己的成功离不开老师的悉心栽培，立志以实际行动回馈那些曾经帮助过自己的人。 She knows her success is inseparable from her teachers’ dedicated guidance, and she’s determined to repay those who once helped her through real action.

Usage Guide

Context: business, philanthropy, social responsibility

Tone: positive

Do Say

• 作为本次活动的主要赞助商，该品牌希望借此机会向广大消费者表达诚挚的感谢，并以实际行动回馈多年来的支持与信任。(As the main sponsor of this event, the brand wishes to take this opportunity to express sincere gratitude to consumers and to give back through concrete action in recognition of years of support and trust.)
• 他在退休后成立了一个教育基金会，专门资助家庭困难的优秀学生，以此回馈社会对他早年成长的帮助与支持。(After retiring, he established an education foundation specifically to support outstanding students from disadvantaged families — a way of giving back to society for the help and support it had given him in his early years.)

Don't Say

• 回馈 to mean simply returning an item or refunding money — use 退还 or 返还; 回馈 implies a generous or grateful act of giving back, not a transactional return

Origin & History

回 (return/back) + 馈 (to present/offer as a gift) — to return a gift; to give back generously

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal