Meaning of 保险
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- insurance
- to insure
- safe
- secure
- be sure
- be bound to
Measure word: 份
How to use 保险
As a noun, 保险 means insurance, often with words like 买 (mǎi) or a type, such as 医疗保险 (yīliáo bǎoxiǎn) medical insurance. As an adjective, it means safe or reliable, and people often say 这样比较保险 to suggest the safer choice. Example: 带把伞吧，保险一点。(Dài bǎ sǎn ba, bǎoxiǎn yìdiǎn.) Bring an umbrella, just to be safe.
保 (bǎo) means to protect, as in 保护 (bǎohù), and 险 (xiǎn) means danger, as in 危险 (wēixiǎn). Insurance is something that protects you from danger, so 保险 is "protect against risk."
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 险 (xiǎn) with 脸 (liǎn, face) or 检 (jiǎn, to check), because all three share the same right side. Remember that 险 takes the 阝 side, while 脸 takes 月 and 检 takes 木.
保险 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
险 xiǎn · danger · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 保险.
| 保护 | bǎohù | to protect; to defend |
| 保证 | bǎozhèng | guarantee; to guarantee |
| 危险 | wēixiǎn | danger; dangerous |
| 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) |
| 风险 | fēngxiǎn | risk; hazard |
| 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 |
| 保守 | bǎoshǒu | conservative; to guard |
Questions about 保险
What does 保险 mean?
保险 (bǎoxiǎn) means "insurance; to insure" and is used as a adjective and noun.
How do you write 保险?
保险 is made of 2 characters: 保 (9 strokes), 险 (9 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 保险 an HSK word?
Yes. 保险 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 保险 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 保险 is written 保險.
How do you say "buy insurance" in Chinese?
Say 买保险 (mǎi bǎoxiǎn). For specific types, put the type before 保险, as in 汽车保险 (qìchē bǎoxiǎn) car insurance or 人寿保险 (rénshòu bǎoxiǎn) life insurance.
What is the difference between 保险 and 安全 when meaning safe?
安全 (ānquán) describes being physically safe or free from harm, like a safe place. 保险 as an adjective usually means a choice is reliable or low risk, like a safe bet. You would say 这里很安全 for a safe place, but 这个办法更保险 for a safer plan.