保鲜 (bǎo xiān) — to keep fresh | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

verb

to keep fresh

保鲜。
Yòng bǎo xiān mó bǎ shèng cài bāo hǎo.
Wrap the leftovers with plastic wrap to keep them fresh.
保鲜。
Zhè xiē shuǐ guǒ fàng jìn bǎo xiān hé lǐ kě yǐ fàng sān tiān.
These fruits can last three days if put in a fresh-keeping box.
保鲜。
Zhēn kōng bāo zhuāng shì hěn hǎo de bǎo xiān fāng fǎ.
Vacuum packaging is a very good method of keeping things fresh.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

保bǎopreserve

鲜xiānfreshness

保 means to preserve, and 鲜 refers to freshness, so the parts combine to mean keeping something fresh.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

保 originally showed a person 人 carrying a child 子 on their back, which led to the sense of protecting.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鮮; 鲜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

魚魚yúfish

Sound part声符shēngfú

羴

羴shān鮮xiān

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 鮮 pairs 魚 (fish) with 羴, which gives the sound; this note is about 鮮, not 鲜.

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