Meaning of 保守
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- conservative
- to guard
- to keep
How to use 保守
Today 保守 is used mostly as an adjective for people, ideas, or estimates that are cautious or traditional. As a verb it often appears in the set phrase 保守秘密 (bǎoshǒu mìmì), to keep a secret. Example: 我爸爸的想法很保守。(Wǒ bàba de xiǎngfǎ hěn bǎoshǒu.) My dad's ideas are very conservative.
保 (bǎo) means to protect and 守 (shǒu) means to guard. Someone who protects and guards what they already have, and resists change, is 保守 (bǎoshǒu), conservative.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 保守 with 保持 (bǎochí). 保持 means to maintain a state, as in 保持安静, while 保守 means to guard something like a secret, or to be conservative. Also remember 守 is third tone, so both syllables are third tone and the first one changes to a rising tone in speech: báoshǒu.
保守 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
保 bǎo · to defend · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
守 shǒu · to guard · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 保守.
| 保护 | bǎohù | to protect; to defend |
| 保证 | bǎozhèng | guarantee; to guarantee |
| 保持 | bǎochí | to keep; to maintain |
| 确保 | quèbǎo | to ensure; to guarantee |
| 保安 | bǎo'ān | to ensure public security; to ensure safety (for workers engaged in production) |
| 保险 | bǎoxiǎn | insurance; to insure |
| 保留 | bǎoliú | to keep; to retain |
| 保存 | bǎocún | to conserve; to preserve; to keep; to store; (computing) to save (a file etc) |
| 环保 | huánbǎo | environmental protection; environmentally friendly |
| 保密 | bǎomì | to keep sth confidential; to maintain secrecy |
| 担保 | dānbǎo | to guarantee; to vouch for |
| 遵守 | zūnshǒu | to comply with; to abide by; to respect (an agreement) |
Questions about 保守
What does 保守 mean?
保守 (bǎoshǒu) means "conservative; to guard" and is used as a verb and adjective.
How do you write 保守?
保守 is made of 2 characters: 保 (9 strokes), 守 (6 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 保守 an HSK word?
Yes. 保守 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Does 保守 have a negative meaning?
It can. Describing a person as 保守 often suggests they are old-fashioned or unwilling to try new things. But in phrases like 保守估计 (bǎoshǒu gūjì), a conservative estimate, it simply means cautious.
How do I say 'conservative' in politics?
You can use 保守派 (bǎoshǒupài), the conservative camp, or 保守党 (Bǎoshǒudǎng) for a Conservative Party. The opposite is often 自由派 (zìyóupài) or 激进 (jījìn), radical.