应付

• Pinyin: yìng fu
• Hanzi breakdown: 应 = 广 + 应 (to respond to a demand); 付 = 亻 + 寸 (person + measure — to hand over, deliver)

Meaning

To cope with; to deal with; to handle (often perfunctorily). Can mean to manage a situation or to do something just enough to get by.

Has two layers: (1) to deal with or handle a situation (neutral, sometimes difficult); (2) to do something perfunctorily, just enough to satisfy a requirement without real effort (negative connotation). Context determines which is meant. Common in workplace and daily life contexts.

Examples

1. 他提醒学员，面对突发舆情，千万别用模糊措辞去应付公众。 He reminded the trainees not to use vague wording to deal with a sudden public controversy.
2. 他平时总想最低限度地应付课业，直到毕业论文临近才发现自己准备不足。 He usually tried to get by with the bare minimum on his coursework, and only when the thesis deadline approached did he realize he was unprepared.
3. 新任运营主管发现问题积重难返，不能只靠日常应付，必须系统整改。 The new operations manager found the problems were deeply entrenched and could not be handled by daily routine coping alone; a systematic overhaul was necessary.

Usage Guide

Context: work, study, crisis management, daily life

Tone: pragmatic

Do Say

• 发布会上，发言人从容应付记者追问，既不回避关键问题，也化解了紧张气氛。(At the press conference, the spokesperson handled the reporters' follow-up questions calmly, neither avoiding the key issues nor failing to ease the tense atmosphere.)
• 面对三个项目同时推进、资源严重不足，项目总监没有勉强应付，而是如实上报，最终促成资源调整。(Faced with three projects moving ahead at once and a severe shortage of resources, the project director did not try to cope by force; instead, he reported the truth and eventually brought about a resource adjustment.)

Don't Say

• 他用英语应付了外国客人 — this implies he barely managed with English, which may not be intended; if he communicated well, say 他用英语顺利接待了外国客人; use 应付 only when the sense of 'just getting by' or 'muddling through' is intended

Origin & History

应 (to respond — 广 + 应, to answer what is required) + 付 (to hand over/deal with — 亻 person + 寸 measure, to deliver/hand over)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal