拯救

• Pinyin: zhěng jiù
• Hanzi breakdown: 拯 = 扌+ 丞 (hand + assist — lifting someone up); 救 = 求 + 攵 (seek + action — responding to a plea for help)

Meaning

To rescue; to save from danger, disaster, or ruin. A dramatic term implying saving from dire circumstances.

Carries moral weight and dramatic connotations. Common in heroic narratives, religious contexts, and descriptions of turning points. Objects often include 生命 (lives), 灵魂 (souls), 世界 (the world), or 濒危物种 (endangered species).

Examples

1. 医生们夜以继日地工作，拯救了无数患者的生命。 The doctors worked day and night, saving countless lives.
2. 这项环保计划旨在拯救濒临灭绝的野生动物。 This environmental initiative aims to save endangered wildlife from extinction.
3. 他相信教育能够拯救贫困地区孩子们的命运。 He believes education can change the fate of children in impoverished areas.

Usage Guide

Context: heroic, humanitarian, environmental

Tone: dramatic

Do Say

• 志愿者们不顾个人安危，奋力拯救被洪水围困的村民。(Volunteers disregarded their own safety and strove to rescue villagers trapped by floodwaters.)
• 只有彻底改革才能拯救这家濒临破产的企业。(Only thorough reform can save this company on the verge of bankruptcy.)

Don't Say

• 我拯救了我的手机 — too dramatic for everyday situations; use 救回 or 找回 for recovering a phone; reserve 拯救 for lives or dire situations

Origin & History

拯 (rescue/save) + 救 (save/rescue) — compound reinforcing the meaning of salvation

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal