应付 (yìng fù) is a verb meaning 'to cope with' or 'to deal with'—often implying managing something difficult, urgent, or less-than-ideal, sometimes with minimal effort or just enough to get by. The character 应 (yìng) means 'to respond' or 'to answer', while 付 (fù) carries the sense of 'to hand over' or 'to carry out'. Together, they suggest responding to and handling a situation—especially one that requires quick action or adaptation, like unexpected demands, pressure, or routine challenges.

This word often appears in contexts involving work, studies, social obligations, or daily problem-solving. It can carry a neutral tone, but frequently implies resourcefulness under constraint—or even slight reluctance or superficiality (e.g., 'just getting by'). Unlike more formal terms like 处理 (chǔlǐ), 应付 tends to be colloquial and context-sensitive: it’s common in spoken Mandarin and informal writing, especially when describing how people manage busy or taxing circumstances.