Chinese word

养

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǎng

Meaning

  • verbraise

Example

她养了两只猫。tā yǎng le liáng zhǐ māo

She raised two cats.

Illustration for 养 (raise)

More examples

父母辛苦地养孩子长大。fù mǔ xīn kǔ dì yǎng hái zi zhǎng dà

The parents work hard to raise their children until they grow up.

Core concept

A caregiver provides the steady food, money, or care that lets a living being continue to live and grow.

Common phrases

  • 养孩子yǎng hái zi

    raise children

  • 养宠物yǎng chǒng wù

    keep pets

  • 养狗yǎng gǒu

    keep a dog

Similar words

养活yǎng huó: To support someone financially so that person can afford to live.
培养péi yǎng: To develop an ability or quality through teaching and practice.
照顾zhào gù: To help with daily needs and protect someone's health and safety.
喂wèi: To give food or medicine by mouth.

Definition in Chinese

用金钱、物资或照顾维持某人或某物的生活或生存状态，即供养、扶持。yòng jīn qián wù zī huò zhào gù wéi chí mǒu rén huò mǒu wù de shēng huó huò shēng cún zhuàng tài jí gòng yǎng fú chí

Word origin

The older sense of 养 (yǎng, "raise") involved feeding and caring for living things, and the word later broadened to supporting people and maintaining life.

Usage tips

  • English raise can also mean lifting something upward, but its life-care meaning is used for bringing up children and caring for animals.

Other meanings

  • keepverb
  • supportverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word