托福 (tuō fú) is a fixed noun phrase meaning 'thanks to (someone’s good fortune or blessing)' — it expresses gratitude for favorable outcomes that result from another person’s luck, status, influence, or kindness. Literally, 托 means 'to entrust' or 'to rely on', and 福 means 'good fortune' or 'blessing'; together, they convey the idea of 'relying on someone else’s good fortune' to achieve a positive result. It is commonly used in modest or polite speech, especially when acknowledging help or advantage derived from others.

The phrase typically appears after the subject benefiting from the fortune and before the positive outcome, often introduced by the particle 的 (de) when modifying a noun. It carries a tone of humility and appreciation, and is frequently heard in formal or semi-formal contexts — such as thanking a senior colleague for an opportunity, or acknowledging a mentor’s support in one’s success. While it contains the character 福 (associated with blessings), 托福 is not related to the TOEFL exam — that is a homophone coincidence (also pronounced tuō fú but written differently: 托福 vs. 托福 — same characters, but in the exam context it's a transliteration).