福利 (fú lì) literally combines 福 (fú), meaning 'good fortune' or 'blessing', and 利 (lì), meaning 'benefit' or 'advantage'. Together, they form a compound noun referring to welfare benefits—typically provided by employers, governments, or institutions to support people’s well-being. It commonly appears in contexts like employee benefits (e.g., health insurance, paid leave, housing subsidies) or social welfare programs (e.g., elderly care, disability support).

Unlike the English word 'welfare', which often carries connotations of state assistance for the disadvantaged, 福利 is more neutral and widely used—even positively—for any organized benefit system. It can describe tangible resources (like subsidized meals) or intangible advantages (like flexible working hours). In modern Chinese, it frequently appears in HR documents, policy discussions, and workplace conversations, and is rarely used in casual speech without reference to an institutional source.