慰劳

• Pinyin: wèi láo
• Hanzi breakdown: 慰 = 尉 + 心 (console, ease the heart); 劳 = 艹 + 力 (labor, toil)

Meaning

To express appreciation and comfort to someone who has worked hard or suffered hardship; to reward with gifts, food, or kind words as recognition of effort or sacrifice.

Used in organizational, military, and community contexts. Implies a gesture of recognition from a higher authority or group toward those who have served or endured hardship. Common in government visits to frontline workers, military units, or disaster relief personnel.

Examples

1. 节日期间，公司领导亲赴一线慰劳全体员工。 During the holiday, company leaders went to the front lines to express appreciation to all employees for their hard work.
2. 政府代表团前往边境地区慰劳驻守的士兵。 A government delegation went to the border area to express appreciation to the soldiers stationed there.
3. 社区志愿者用热腾腾的饭菜慰劳了在工地上辛苦劳作的农民工。 Community volunteers brought hot meals to show appreciation for the migrant workers laboring hard at the construction site.

Usage Guide

Context: workplace, government, military

Tone: respectful

Do Say

• 春节前夕，工会组织人员专程前往医院慰劳坚守岗位的医护人员。(On the eve of the Spring Festival, the trade union organized a dedicated visit to the hospital to express appreciation to medical staff who remained at their posts.)
• 慰劳不仅仅是物质上的奖励，更是对辛勤工作者精神上的认可与鼓励。(Expressing appreciation is not just a material reward — it is also a spiritual recognition and encouragement for those who work hard.)

Don't Say

• 我慰劳了朋友一顿饭 — use 请朋友吃饭 or 犒劳 in informal contexts; 慰劳 carries a formal or institutional tone implying recognition of hardship, not casual social dining

Origin & History

慰 (console, comfort) + 劳 (labor, toil, hardship) — comforting those who have toiled

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal