Chinese word

安抚

Pronunciation

Pinyinān fǔ

Meaning

  • verbsoothe

Example

她轻声安抚受惊的小猫。tā qīng shēng ān fǔ shòu jīng de xiǎo māo

She softly soothed the frightened kitten.

Illustration for 安抚 (soothe)

More examples

医生试图安抚激动的病人。yī shēng shì tú ān fǔ jī dòng de bìng rén

The doctor tried to soothe the agitated patient.

Core concept

Move a frightened or agitated person or animal toward steadiness through reassuring words or gentle actions.

Common phrases

  • 安抚哭泣的孩子ān fǔ kū qì de hái zi

    soothe a crying child

  • 安抚受惊的动物ān fǔ shòu jīng de dòng wù

    soothe a frightened animal

  • 安抚现场群众ān fǔ xiàn chǎng qún zhòng

    soothe the crowd at the scene

Similar words

安慰ān wèi: Comfort someone who feels sad, hurt, or troubled through kind words or helpful actions.
抚慰fǔ wèi: Gently ease a person's emotional pain with tender words or caring actions.

Definition in Chinese

对感情激动、受惊或不安的人或动物，用言语或动作使其平静下来。duì gǎn qíng jī dòng shòu jīng huò bù ān de rén huò dòng wù yòng yán yǔ huò dòng zuò shǐ qí píng jìng xià lái

Word origin

安 (ān, "peaceful") + 抚 (fǔ, "to stroke or comfort") joins a state of peace with a caring action, which gives the compound its sense of easing distress.

Usage tips

  • In news and official contexts, this verb often describes deliberate efforts to settle public worry after a tense event, so its tone can be more formal than everyday speech.

Other meanings

  • comfortverb
  • calmverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word