How do you say "Help!" in Chinese?

"Help!" in Chinese is 救命！ — written in pinyin as Jiùmìng!. It is an emergency phrase you would use in China.

What does 救命！ mean in Chinese?

救命！ (Jiùmìng!) means "Help!". Broken down word by word: 救 (jiù) means "to save"; 命 (mìng) means "life".

When would you use "Help!" in Chinese?

Only when someone is in real danger — a medical emergency, a fire, a serious accident, or harassment. Shout it to draw the attention of anyone nearby. It is the one word that reliably stops people in a crowd.

How to say “Help!” in Chinese

“Help!” in Chinese is 救命！, written in pinyin as Jiùmìng!.

救命！

Jiùmìng!

Help!

Word by word

What each part of 救命！ actually means.

救jiùto save
命mìnglife

When you use it

Only when someone is in real danger — a medical emergency, a fire, a serious accident, or harassment.
Shout it to draw the attention of anyone nearby. It is the one word that reliably stops people in a crowd.

Use 救命！ in emergency situations. Get help fast: police, doctor, lost and allergies.

Other ways people say it

The same idea, said differently. Roughly in the order you'll hear them.

帮忙！
Bāngmáng!
Help!
A request for help, but nowhere near as urgent as 救命. For being stuck, overloaded or lost rather than in danger.
帮帮我！
Bāng bāng wǒ!
Please help me!
The everyday request. Perfectly fine when you simply cannot manage on your own.
请叫救护车！
Qǐng jiào jiùhùchē!
Please call an ambulance!
The follow-up that matters in a medical emergency.

What usually trips people up

救命 is not 'help me with this bag'. Spending it on a small problem wastes the one word that makes people act — for everything else use 帮忙 or 帮帮我.
Keep it for danger. A bystander who believes you are in danger may well call the police (110) on your behalf, which turns a small problem into a long one.
Emergency numbers in China: 110 police, 120 ambulance, 119 fire. Hotel staff and passers-by can also place the call for you.

What you might hear back

怎么了？Zěnme le?What's wrong?
我帮你叫救护车。Wǒ bāng nǐ jiào jiùhùchēI'll call an ambulance for you.
我打120。Wǒ dǎ yāo èr língI'm calling 120 (ambulance).

Common questions

How do you say "Help!" in Chinese?: "Help!" in Chinese is 救命！ — written in pinyin as Jiùmìng!. It is an emergency phrase you would use in China.
What does 救命！ mean in Chinese?: 救命！ (Jiùmìng!) means "Help!". Broken down word by word: 救 (jiù) means "to save"; 命 (mìng) means "life".
When would you use "Help!" in Chinese?: Only when someone is in real danger — a medical emergency, a fire, a serious accident, or harassment. Shout it to draw the attention of anyone nearby. It is the one word that reliably stops people in a crowd.

More Emergency phrases

Learn all 18 Emergency phrases

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