保安 meaning in English
to ensure public security; to ensure safety (for workers engaged in production)
Meaning of 保安
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to ensure public security
- to ensure safety (for workers engaged in production)
- public security
- security guard
- Bonan ethnic group
How to use 保安
In everyday speech 保安 (bǎo'ān) most often means a security guard at a building, mall, or residential compound. It can also refer to security work in general. Example: 门口的保安很友好。(Ménkǒu de bǎo'ān hěn yǒuhǎo.) The security guard at the entrance is very friendly.
保 (bǎo) means to protect or keep, as in 保护 (bǎohù), and 安 (ān) means safe or peaceful, as in 安全 (ānquán). Put them together and you get the person who keeps a place safe: a security guard.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 保安 (bǎo'ān) and 安全 (ānquán). 安全 means safe or safety, while 保安 usually means the guard who provides it, so say 这里很安全 (zhèlǐ hěn ānquán), not 这里很保安.
保安 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
安 ān · calm · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 保安.
| 安全 | ānquán | safe; secure; safety; security |
| 晚安 | wǎn'ān | Good night!; Good evening! |
| 安静 | ānjìng | quiet; peaceful |
| 平安 | píng'ān | safe and sound; well |
| 一路平安 | yīlù-píng'ān | to have a pleasant journey; Bon voyage! |
| 保护 | bǎohù | to protect; to defend |
| 保证 | bǎozhèng | guarantee; to guarantee |
| 保持 | bǎochí | to keep; to maintain |
| 安排 | ānpái | to arrange; to plan |
| 确保 | quèbǎo | to ensure; to guarantee |
| 保险 | bǎoxiǎn | insurance; to insure |
| 保留 | bǎoliú | to keep; to retain |
Questions about 保安
What does 保安 mean?
保安 (bǎo'ān) means "to ensure public security; to ensure safety (for workers engaged in production)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 保安?
保安 is made of 2 characters: 保 (9 strokes), 安 (6 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 保安 an HSK word?
Yes. 保安 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 保安 a polite way to address a security guard?
Calling someone 保安 directly can sound a bit blunt. Many people use 师傅 (shīfu) or 大哥 (dàgē) when speaking to a guard, and use 保安 when talking about the job or the person.
What does 保安 mean when written with a capital B in pinyin?
Bǎo'ān with a capital letter refers to the Bonan ethnic group, one of China's officially recognized ethnic minorities. Context makes the meaning clear, since the security sense is far more common.