喂养

• Pinyin: wèi yǎng
• Hanzi breakdown: 喂 = 口 + 畏 (call to eat, feed); 养 = 羊 + 食 (raise, nourish)

Meaning

To feed and raise; to nourish over time. Used for feeding and caring for animals, infants, or young children.

Primarily used for animals and young children. Implies ongoing, sustained nourishment and care. 母乳喂养 (breastfeeding) is a common compound. Distinguished from 养活 (to support financially) and 饲养 (to raise livestock commercially).

Examples

1. 农场工人每天负责喂养牲畜。 Farm workers are responsible for feeding the livestock every day.
2. 母乳喂养对婴儿的免疫系统发育非常有益。 Breastfeeding is very beneficial for an infant’s immune system development.
3. 野生动物保护中心的工作人员精心喂养着受伤的动物。 Staff at the wildlife rescue center carefully feed and care for injured animals.

Usage Guide

Context: animal care, parenting, agriculture

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 她悉心喂养着这只受伤的小鸟，直到它康复后才将其放归自然。(She carefully nursed and fed the injured little bird until it recovered and could be released back into the wild.)
• 科学合理地喂养婴儿，有助于促进其健康成长和发育。(Feeding infants in a scientifically sound and appropriate way helps promote their healthy growth and development.)

Don't Say

• 他喂养了三个孩子长大成人 — use 抚养 or 养育 when talking about raising children to adulthood; 喂养 focuses on feeding and nourishing, not the full scope of upbringing

Origin & History

喂 (to feed, to give food to) + 养 (to raise, to nurture)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal