Definitions
About
The character for "help" or "gang", now written as "帮", originates from the traditional form "幫", which structurally combined "封" (fēng), primarily serving a phonetic function, and "帛" (bó, meaning silk or cloth) as a semantic component. This construction originally referred to the reinforcing strips of material added to the sides of shoes, a sense of support or reinforcement that logically extended to the general meaning of providing aid or assistance. Over time, this core notion of support further expanded to denote a group of people bound together for mutual aid or a common purpose, such as a trade guild or, later, a more informal or illicit group. The simplified form "帮" preserved the essential top portion of "封" while replacing the lower "帛" with "巾" (jīn, another cloth-related radical), thus maintaining a visual and conceptual link to its original fabric-based meaning while streamlining its form for writing.
Example Sentences Hide
请帮我一下。
他经常帮助别人。
我需要你的帮忙。
你能帮我拿书吗？
妈妈帮我做作业。
我们应该互相帮助。
他帮了我一个大忙。
在困难的时候，朋友会帮你。