‘寄养’ (jìyǎng) literally combines ‘寄’ (jì), meaning ‘to entrust’ or ‘to lodge temporarily’, and ‘养’ (yǎng), meaning ‘to raise’ or ‘to nurture’. Together, they describe the act of placing a child (or sometimes an animal) in another family’s care for upbringing, usually on a temporary or long-term basis, while biological parents retain legal rights or remain involved. It is commonly used in social welfare contexts, adoption-related discussions, or when describing arrangements due to parental hardship, illness, or migration.

Though ‘寄养’ can technically apply to animals (e.g., boarding a pet), its primary and most frequent usage refers to children—especially in official, media, or formal speech. Unlike ‘收养’ (shōuyǎng, ‘to adopt’), which implies full legal transfer of parental rights, ‘寄养’ maintains the original parent-child relationship. The term carries neutral-to-compassionate connotations and is not inherently stigmatizing when used appropriately.