Meaning of 保密
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to keep sth confidential
- to maintain secrecy
How to use 保密
保密 is a verb-object word, often used as a request or a statement about information that should not be shared. It often appears with 对 (duì) to say who the secret is kept from. Example: 这件事请你保密。(Zhè jiàn shì qǐng nǐ bǎomì.) Please keep this matter confidential.
保 (bǎo) means to protect or keep, and 密 (mì) means secret or close. Put them together and you are protecting a secret, which is exactly what 保密 means.
Common mistake: Learners often say 保密秘密 or try to put the secret right after 保密 as an object, like 保密这个消息. Because 密 already acts as the object, say 对这个消息保密 (duì zhège xiāoxi bǎomì) instead.
保密 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
密 mì · dense · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Related words
Words that share a character with 保密.
| 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 |
| 秘密 | mìmì | secret; private; confidential; clandestine; a secret |
| 密码 | mìmǎ | cipher; secret code; password; PIN |
| 亲密 | qīnmì | intimate; close |
Questions about 保密
What does 保密 mean?
保密 (bǎomì) means "to keep sth confidential; to maintain secrecy".
How do you write 保密?
保密 is made of 2 characters: 保 (9 strokes), 密 (11 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 保密 an HSK word?
Yes. 保密 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say 'it's a secret' casually using 保密?
You can simply say 保密 (bǎomì) on its own when someone asks something you do not want to reveal. It works like a playful 'that's a secret'. For example, if someone asks your age, you can answer 保密。
What is the difference between 保密 and 秘密?
保密 (bǎomì) is an action, to keep something confidential. 秘密 (mìmì) is a noun meaning 'a secret', as in 这是一个秘密 (zhè shì yí gè mìmì), this is a secret.