====== fǔyǎng: 抚养 - To Raise, Nurture, Bring Up ======
===== Quick Summary =====
  * **Keywords:** fuyang, fǔyǎng, 抚养, how to say raise a child in chinese, meaning of fuyang in chinese, bring up a child, chinese word for nurture, fuyang vs yang, chinese parenting, child support in chinese, 抚养权, 抚养费
  * **Summary:** Learn the deep meaning of **抚养 (fǔyǎng)**, the Chinese verb for raising or nurturing a child. This term goes beyond simply providing food and shelter; it encompasses the immense legal, financial, and moral responsibility parents have to bring up a child to adulthood. Understanding **fǔyǎng** is key to grasping Chinese cultural values around family, duty, and filial piety.
===== Core Meaning =====
  * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** fǔyǎng
  * **Part of Speech:** Verb
  * **HSK Level:** HSK 5
  * **Concise Definition:** To raise, nurture, and provide for a child or dependent until adulthood.
  * **In a Nutshell:** **抚养 (fǔyǎng)** is a formal and serious term that describes the entire, long-term commitment of raising a child. It's not just about "looking after" them day-to-day; it's about the profound duty to support their physical, emotional, and educational development until they become independent. Think of it as the complete job description for a parent.
===== Character Breakdown =====
  * **抚 (fǔ):** This character's left side is the "hand" radical (扌), suggesting a physical action. The original meaning is to pat, comfort, or soothe with one's hand. It brings a sense of gentle care and affection to the word.
  * **养 (yǎng):** This character means to raise, to provide for, or to cultivate. It's used for raising animals (养宠物), growing plants (养花), and supporting a family (养家). It provides the sense of sustenance and practical support.
  * **Together:** The gentle, comforting touch of **抚 (fǔ)** combined with the practical, life-sustaining support of **养 (yǎng)** creates the complete picture of parenthood: providing both loving care and material necessities to raise a child.
===== Cultural Context and Significance =====
In Chinese culture, **抚养 (fǔyǎng)** is not just a personal choice but a deeply ingrained social and moral obligation. It forms one half of a fundamental parent-child relationship defined by responsibility. Parents have the duty to **抚养** their children, and in return, children have the duty to [[赡养]] (shànyǎng) — to support their parents in old age. This dynamic is a cornerstone of filial piety ([[孝顺]], xiàoshùn), a core Confucian value.
Compared to the Western concept of "raising a child," which often emphasizes fostering independence as the primary goal, **抚养** carries a heavier weight of sacrifice and long-term reciprocal duty. While independence is also valued, the parent-child bond forged through **抚养** is seen as a lifelong connection of mutual obligation and gratitude. The term implies a debt of love and effort that a child is expected to repay through respect and care later in life. It's less of a temporary phase and more of a permanent entry into a generational contract.
===== Practical Usage in Modern China =====
**抚养 (fǔyǎng)** is a formal term, most commonly encountered in specific contexts.
  * **Legal and Formal Settings:** This is where the term is most prevalent. It's used in legal documents and court proceedings related to divorce, adoption, and inheritance. Key terms like [[抚养权]] (fǔyǎngquán, custody rights) and [[抚养费]] (fǔyǎngfèi, child support) are standard legal vocabulary.
  * **Serious Discussions about Parenthood:** When people discuss the responsibilities, costs, and challenges of being a parent, **抚养** is the appropriate word. It conveys the gravity of the commitment. You would use it when talking about the high cost of raising a child in a big city, for example.
  * **Expressing Gratitude:** In formal or heartfelt moments, a person might thank their parents for the hardship they endured in raising them, using the phrase "**抚养**之恩" (fǔyǎng zhī ēn), "the grace/kindness of raising me."
It is generally //not// used in casual, everyday conversation about childcare tasks. You wouldn't use it to say you're "looking after" your kids for the afternoon. For that, you'd use [[照顾]] (zhàogù).
===== Example Sentences =====
  * **Example 1:**
    * 父母有**抚养**和教育子女的义务。
    * Pinyin: Fùmǔ yǒu **fǔyǎng** hé jiàoyù zǐnǚ de yìwù.
    * English: Parents have the obligation to raise and educate their children.
    * Analysis: This sentence highlights the formal, duty-bound nature of the word, often used in legal or official contexts.
  * **Example 2:**
    * 她决定独自**抚养**这个孩子。
    * Pinyin: Tā juédìng dúzì **fǔyǎng** zhège háizi.
    * English: She decided to raise this child by herself.
    * Analysis: Here, **抚养** emphasizes the comprehensive, long-term responsibility she is taking on as a single parent.
  * **Example 3:**
    * 离婚后，孩子的**抚养**权判给了母亲。
    * Pinyin: Líhūn hòu, háizi de **fǔyǎng**quán pàn gěile mǔqīn.
    * English: After the divorce, custody of the child was awarded to the mother.
    * Analysis: A very common and practical example showing the use of a key related term, [[抚养权]] (custody rights).
  * **Example 4:**
    * 他每个月都要支付前妻一笔**抚养**费。
    * Pinyin: Tā měi ge yuè dōu yào zhīfù qiánqī yī bǐ **fǔyǎng**fèi.
    * English: He has to pay a sum of child support to his ex-wife every month.
    * Analysis: This demonstrates the financial aspect of the responsibility, encapsulated in the word [[抚养费]] (child support).
  * **Example 5:**
    * 他是由祖父母**抚养**长大的。
    * Pinyin: Tā shì yóu zǔfùmǔ **fǔyǎng** zhǎng dà de.
    * English: He was raised by his grandparents.
    * Analysis: The structure "由...抚养" (yóu...fǔyǎng) is common for explaining who raised someone.
  * **Example 6:**
    * 在大城市**抚养**一个孩子的成本太高了。
    * Pinyin: Zài dà chéngshì **fǔyǎng** yī ge háizi de chéngběn tài gāo le.
    * English: The cost of raising a child in a big city is too high.
    * Analysis: This is a typical topic of discussion among modern parents, where **抚养** refers to the entire financial burden of raising a child.
  * **Example 7:**
    * 感谢父母的**抚养**之恩，我会好好报答他们。
    * Pinyin: Gǎnxiè fùmǔ de **fǔyǎng** zhī ēn, wǒ huì hǎohǎo bàodá tāmen.
    * English: I'm grateful for the kindness my parents showed in raising me, and I will repay them well.
    * Analysis: This is a very classic, slightly formal sentence that perfectly illustrates the cultural expectation of repaying the "debt" of being raised.
  * **Example 8:**
    * 这对善良的夫妇**抚养**了好几个孤儿。
    * Pinyin: Zhè duì shànliáng de fūfù **fǔyǎng** le hǎo jǐ ge gū'ér.
    * English: This kind couple raised several orphans.
    * Analysis: **抚养** is the correct term for raising children who are not one's own, as in adoption or foster care.
  * **Example 9:**
    * **抚养**孩子不仅仅是提供物质条件，精神上的关爱更重要。
    * Pinyin: **Fǔyǎng** háizi bùjǐn jǐn shì tígōng wùzhì tiáojiàn, jīngshén shàng de guān'ài gèng zhòngyào.
    * English: Raising a child isn't just about providing material things; emotional care is even more important.
    * Analysis: This sentence shows a deeper reflection on the meaning of **抚养**, separating it into material (物质) and spiritual/emotional (精神) components.
  * **Example 10:**
    * 他们在讨论关于孩子未来的**抚养**计划。
    * Pinyin: Tāmen zài tǎolùn guānyú háizi wèilái de **fǔyǎng** jìhuà.
    * English: They are discussing the future plans for raising their child.
    * Analysis: A practical use of the term when making long-term plans for a child's upbringing.
===== Nuances and Common Mistakes =====
  * **抚养 (fǔyǎng) vs. 养 (yǎng):** This is the most common point of confusion. **抚养** is almost exclusively used for the comprehensive raising of human children/dependents. **养 (yǎng)** is much broader and more common.
    * **Correct:** 我**养**了一只猫。(Wǒ yǎng le yī zhī māo.) - I have a cat.
    * **Incorrect:** 我**抚养**了一只猫。(Wǒ fǔyǎng le yī zhī māo.) - This sounds overly dramatic and strange, as if you're legally and morally responsible for the cat's entire life until it becomes an "adult."
  * **抚养 (fǔyǎng) vs. 培养 (péiyǎng):** **抚养** is about general upbringing—providing the necessities of life and care. **培养 (péiyǎng)** is about intentionally cultivating a specific skill, talent, or habit.
    * **Correct:** 父母**培养**了我阅读的习惯。(Fùmǔ péiyǎng le wǒ yuè dú de xíguàn.) - My parents cultivated my reading habit.
    * **Incorrect:** 父母**抚养**了我阅读的习惯。(Fùmǔ fǔyǎng le wǒ yuè dú de xíguàn.) - This is grammatically nonsensical. You don't "raise" a habit in this way.
  * **抚养 (fǔyǎng) vs. 照顾 (zhàogù):** **抚养** is the entire, long-term project of raising a child. **照顾 (zhàogù)** means "to look after" or "to take care of," and it can be short-term or refer to a specific aspect of care.
    * //"My parents **抚养** me"// implies everything they did for you for 18+ years.
    * //"My parents **照顾** me when I was sick"// refers to a specific period of care.
===== Related Terms and Concepts =====
  * [[赡养]] (shànyǎng) - The direct counterpart to 抚养; the duty of adult children to provide for and support their elderly parents.
  * [[养育]] (yǎngyù) - A very close synonym for 抚养. The character 育 (yù) means "educate," so 养育 can sometimes carry a slightly stronger emphasis on the educational aspect of upbringing, but they are often used interchangeably.
  * [[培养]] (péiyǎng) - To cultivate or foster a specific skill, habit, or talent. More about development than basic upbringing.
  * [[抚养费]] (fǔyǎngfèi) - Child support; the money paid by one parent to another for the purpose of raising a child.
  * [[抚养权]] (fǔyǎngquán) - Custody rights; the legal right to raise a child.
  * [[照顾]] (zhàogù) - To take care of, to look after. A more general and less formal term for caregiving.
  * [[养家]] (yǎngjiā) - To support a family, specifically in the financial sense (lit. "raise the family").
  * [[孝顺]] (xiàoshùn) - Filial piety; the cultural virtue of being respectful, obedient, and dutiful to one's parents, which is the expected response to their **抚养**.