应付 yìngfu to deal with
to deal with; to cope
How to remember 应付: 应 should + 付 pay = to deal with.
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How it is used
- To cope with / deal with something demanding - 应付考试 (yìngfu kǎoshì) to handle an exam; 难以应付 (nányǐ yìngfu) hard to cope with.
- Often carries a sense of doing just enough to get by, even perfunctorily: 应付了事 (yìngfu liǎoshì) to do sth half-heartedly to be done with it.
- Note the reading yìngfu (fù toned neutral here); distinct from 应该 (yīnggāi). Contrast 对付 (duìfu), which is more 'tackle/deal with an adversary'.