Meaning of 保护
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to protect
- to defend
- to safeguard
- protection
Measure word: 種|种
How to use 保护
保护 is used for protecting people, animals, the environment, rights, and privacy, and it can also work as a noun meaning protection. Example: 我们要保护环境。(Wǒmen yào bǎohù huánjìng.) We should protect the environment.
保 (bǎo) shows a person 亻 standing beside 呆, which you can picture as a child being kept safe, and 护 (hù) has the hand radical 扌, a hand held up to shield something. Together a person and a hand keep something from harm: to protect.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 保护 with 保持 (bǎochí) or 保证 (bǎozhèng) because they share 保. 保护 means shielding something from harm, 保持 means keeping a state the same, and 保证 means promising or guaranteeing.
保护 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
护 hù · to protect · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 保护.
| 护照 | hùzhào | passport |
| 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 |
| 护士 | hùshi | nurse |
| 保密 | bǎomì | to keep sth confidential; to maintain secrecy |
| 保守 | bǎoshǒu | conservative; to guard |
Questions about 保护
What does 保护 mean?
保护 (bǎohù) means "to protect; to defend" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 保护?
保护 is made of 2 characters: 保 (9 strokes), 护 (7 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 保护 an HSK word?
Yes. 保护 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 保护 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 保护 is written 保護.
What is the difference between 保护 and 保卫?
保护 is the everyday word for protecting anything, from children to eyesight. 保卫 (bǎowèi) sounds more serious and is used for defending a country, a city, or peace against attack.
How do I say 'protect someone from something' with 保护?
A common pattern is 保护 + person + 不受 + harm, for example 保护孩子不受伤害 (bǎohù háizi bú shòu shānghài), to protect children from harm. You can also simply say 保护好 + object to mean protect it well.