帮我
The English phrase "help me" is translated into Chinese as 帮我.
If you need to say "help me for a bit", you can use 帮我一下, which is common among friends or acquaintances. To ask "can you help", use 能帮忙吗. In a life-threatening emergency where you need immediate assistance, use 救命 to mean "save my life".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of 帮 (help) and 我 (me).
Which one should you use?
While 帮我 is used for general assistance, 救命 is used specifically for life-threatening emergencies.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To make a request more polite, add 请 at the beginning to say 请帮我 (please help me). For a more casual, softer or more urgent and pleading tone, you can reduplicate the verb to say 帮帮我 (help me a little bit/give me a hand).
How does it change in a sentence?
In Chinese, the verb 帮 (help) can be followed directly by the object (me) without a preposition like 'with'.
Did you know?
- The character 帮 originally depicted a piece of leather or a wrap used to reinforce a handle. This evolved into the meaning of 'supporting' or 'assisting' someone.
- The word 帮 can also mean 'gang' or 'clique' when used as a noun. This stems from the idea of a group of people who 'help' or support one another in a tight-knit circle.
- In a professional setting, you might avoid 帮我 and instead use 麻烦你 which means 'trouble you'. This shifts the focus from your need for help to the inconvenience caused to the other person.
Examples in context
- 帮我抬包裹。Help me lift the package.Tatoeba #5856739 by verdastelo9604, translation #320951 by CK
- 您能帮我吗？Could you help me?Tatoeba #7772052 by jiangche, translation #64405 by CK
- 你不用帮我。You don't have to help me.Tatoeba #8463637 by gumblex, translation #266050 by CK
- 请帮帮我，我迷路了。Please help me, I'm lost.
- 能帮忙吗？我需要一些指导。Can you help me? I need some guidance.
- 43 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a grocery store, Xiaowen asks Zhiqiang for assistance.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen志强，你能帮我看看这个吗？Zhìqiáng, nǐ néng bāng wǒ kànkan zhège ma?Zhiqiang, can you help me look at this?
- 志强 Zhiqiang没问题，你想让我看什么？Méi wèntí, nǐ xiǎng ràng wǒ kàn shénme?No problem, what do you want me to look at?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen帮我看看这个日期对不对。Bāng wǒ kànkan zhège rìqī duì bù duì.Help me check if this date is correct.
- 志强 Zhiqiang我看了一下，日期是对的。Wǒ kàn le yīxià, rìqī shì duì de.I took a look, the date is correct.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
