资助 (zī zhù) is a verb meaning 'to fund' or 'to provide financial support.' It combines two characters: 资 (zī), meaning 'resources' or 'funds,' and 助 (zhù), meaning 'to help' or 'to assist.' Together, they convey the idea of supporting someone or something—especially an organization, project, or individual—through monetary contribution. The word emphasizes formal, often institutional or charitable, backing rather than casual giving.

This term is commonly used in contexts like education (e.g., scholarships), public welfare (e.g., disaster relief), healthcare (e.g., medical aid for underprivileged patients), and nonprofit work. It typically implies sustained or substantial support—not one-time donations—and often appears in official documents, news reports, or policy discussions. While it can be used transitively (e.g., 资助学生), it rarely takes aspect markers like 了 or 过 without additional context, and the object usually names a person, group, or cause receiving aid.