Chinese word

见义勇为

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiàn yì yǒng wéi

Meaning

  • idiombravely help people in need

Example

小王看到邻居被欺负，就跑过去见义勇为。xiǎo wáng kàn dào lín jū bèi qī fù jiù pǎo guò qù jiàn yì yǒng wéi

Xiao Wang saw a neighbor being bullied, so he ran over and bravely helped the neighbor.

Illustration for 见义勇为 (bravely help people in need)

More examples

地铁里有人晕倒，他毫不犹豫地见义勇为，跑上前去施救。dì tiě lǐ yǒu rén yūn dǎo tā háo bù yóu yù dì jiàn yì yǒng wéi pǎo shàng qián qù shī jiù

In the subway, someone fainted, and he bravely rushed over without hesitation to help.

Core concept

A courageous response that puts protecting someone in danger before personal safety.

Common phrases

  • 见义勇为的人jiàn yì yǒng wéi de rén

    people who bravely help those in need

  • 见义勇为的行为jiàn yì yǒng wéi de xíng wéi

    acts of bravely helping those in need

  • 见义勇为的表现jiàn yì yǒng wéi de biǎo xiàn

    displays of bravery in helping those in need

Similar words

挺身而出tǐng shēn ér chū: Stepping forward personally to help when danger or difficulty arises.
舍己为人shé jǐ wèi rén: Putting others' needs before personal safety and making sacrifices for them.
拔刀相助bá dāo xiāng zhù: Quickly offering hands-on help to someone in trouble with a bold spirit.
急公好义jí gōng hào yì: Eagerly acting for justice and the public good as a matter of character.

Definition in Chinese

看到有人遭受危险或欺负，为了保护他人不顾个人安危而勇敢行动的行为或品质。kàn dào yǒu rén zāo shòu wēi xiǎn huò qī fù wèi le bǎo hù tā rén bú gù gè rén ān wēi ér yóng gǎn xíng dòng de xíng wéi huò pǐn zhì

Word origin

The set phrase 见义勇为 (jiànyìyǒngwéi, "act bravely for what is right") presents seeing a just cause as the point that calls forth courageous action.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this idiom usually praises a person's conduct, while a plain action verb gives a more neutral report of what happened.

Opposites

Related words

  • 见义勇为者jiàn yì yǒng wéi zhěperson who bravely helps those in neednoun
  • 见义勇为奖jiàn yì yǒng wéi jiǎngaward for bravery in helping those in neednoun

Word lists with this word