收养 meaning in English
to take in and care for (an elderly person, a dog etc); to adopt (a child)
Meaning of 收养
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to take in and care for (an elderly person, a dog etc)
- to adopt (a child)
- adoption
How to use 收养
收养 is used for adopting a child, and also for taking in and caring for an elderly person or an animal such as a stray dog. Example: 他们收养了一个女孩。(Tāmen shōuyǎng le yí ge nǚhái.) They adopted a girl.
收 (shōu) means to receive or take in, and 养 (yǎng) means to raise or nourish, as in 营养 (yíngyǎng). So 收养 is to take someone in and raise them.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 收样 because 样 (yàng) looks and sounds like 养 (yǎng). Note the tones too: 养 is third tone, 样 is fourth tone.
收养 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
收 shōu · to receive · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
养 yǎng · to raise · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
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- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 收养.
| 收到 | shōudào | to receive |
| 收入 | shōurù | to take in; income |
| 收音机 | shōuyīnjī | radio |
| 收看 | shōukàn | to watch (a TV program) |
| 收费 | shōufèi | to charge a fee |
| 营养 | yíngyǎng | nutrition; nourishment |
| 收听 | shōutīng | to listen to (a radio broadcast) |
| 收回 | shōuhuí | to regain; to retake |
| 收获 | shōuhuò | to harvest; to reap |
| 吸收 | xīshōu | to absorb; to assimilate |
| 培养 | péiyǎng | to cultivate; to breed |
| 收益 | shōuyì | earnings; profit |
Questions about 收养
What does 收养 mean?
收养 (shōuyǎng) means "to take in and care for (an elderly person, a dog etc); to adopt (a child)" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 收养?
收养 is made of 2 characters: 收 (6 strokes), 养 (9 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 收养 an HSK word?
Yes. 收养 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 收养 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 收养 is written 收養.
What is the difference between 收养 and 领养?
Both can mean to adopt. 领养 (lǐngyǎng) focuses on formally taking a child or pet home from an agency or shelter, while 收养 stresses taking someone in and caring for them. In legal contexts about children, 收养 is the standard term.
How do you say an adopted child or adoptive parents with 收养?
You can say 被收养的孩子 (bèi shōuyǎng de háizi) for an adopted child. Adoptive parents are often called 养父母 (yǎngfùmǔ), or 收养人 (shōuyǎngrén) in legal language.