救死扶伤
jiù sǐ fú shāng
to save the dying and heal the wounded; a doctor’s calling
Character by character
救jiù
rescue
rescue
死sǐ
dying
dying
扶fú
support
support
伤shāng
wounded
wounded
Example
地震发生后，几百名医生连夜赶到灾区救死扶伤。
After the earthquake, hundreds of doctors rushed through the night to the disaster zone to tend the injured and save lives.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
The stock phrase for what doctors and nurses are for, seen on hospital walls and in tributes to medical staff: 救死扶伤是医生的天职. It first appears in Sima Qian’s Letter to Ren An (《报任安书》): Li Ling’s small army hit the Xiongnu so hard that they could not keep up with rescuing their dying and tending their wounded (虏救死扶伤不给).
Learn this in Lesson 47 · HSK 5–6: 去医院看病 (Seeing a doctor)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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