弥补

• Pinyin: mí bǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 弥 = 弓 (bow radical) + 尔 (phonetic) — to fill, spread, overflow; 补 = 衤 (clothing radical) + 卜 (phonetic) — to patch, repair, supplement

Meaning

To make up for; to compensate; to remedy; to fill a gap. To offset or correct a deficiency, mistake, loss, or shortcoming.

Broadly used in contexts of emotional repair (弥补感情裂痕), economic compensation (弥补损失), filling knowledge or skill gaps (弥补不足), and making amends for past mistakes. Implies active effort to restore a balance or wholeness that was previously lacking.

Examples

1. 他加班加点完成了任务，试图以出色的工作表现来弥补之前失误带来的不良印象。 He worked overtime to finish the task, trying to make up for the bad impression left by his earlier mistake with outstanding performance.
2. 这笔补贴只能部分弥补农民因洪涝灾害遭受的经济损失，远不足以覆盖全部损失。 This subsidy can only partially compensate farmers for the financial losses caused by flooding—far from enough to cover everything.
3. 无论付出多大努力，有些遗憾终究无法弥补，唯有接受并在遗憾中寻找前进的力量。 No matter how hard we try, some regrets can never be made up for; all we can do is accept them and find the strength to move forward through them.

Usage Guide

Context: emotions, finance, self-improvement, relationships

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这项新政策旨在弥补现有社会保障体系中长期存在的制度性漏洞，保障弱势群体的基本权益。(This new policy aims to remedy the long-standing institutional loopholes in the existing social security system and protect the basic rights of vulnerable groups.)
• 她给孩子报了多个课外辅导班，希望借此弥补孩子在基础阶段形成的知识薄弱环节。(She enrolled her child in several after-school tutoring classes, hoping to make up for the gaps in foundational knowledge the child had developed in the early stages.)

Don't Say

• 将'弥补'用于描述增加原本就充足的东西 — 弥补特指填补不足或修复缺陷，描述锦上添花应用'增加''补充'或'加强' (Do not use 弥补 to describe adding to something already sufficient — 弥补 specifically refers to remedying deficiencies; use 增加, 补充, or 加强 for enhancement)

Origin & History

弥 = 弓 (bow) + 尔 (phonetic) — to fill, to overflow, to spread; 补 = 衤 (clothing) + 卜 (divination, phonetic) — to patch, to repair. Together: to fill in and repair.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal