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戒备 (jiè bèi) — to take precautions, to guard against (emergency or danger)

Definition

戒备 highlights an ongoing state of watchfulness or alert against possible danger, not a one-off action — stronger and more sustained than 防止/预防/防范. Closest in feeling to 提防, but implies a broader, more formal vigilance.

verb
to take precautionsto guard against (emergency or danger)

Examples

  • 戒备。
    Jūn duì jìn rù le yī jí jiè bèi zhuàng tài.
    The military entered a state of first-level alert.
  • 戒备。
    Tā duì zhōu wéi de huán jìng shǐ zhōng bǎo chí jiè bèi.
    He always maintains vigilance towards his surroundings.
  • 戒备。
    Yì qíng qī jiān dà jiā dōu yào tí gāo jiè bèi.
    During the pandemic, everyone should heighten their precautions.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

戒jièguard against
备bèiprepare

'戒' and '备' both carry guarding and preparing senses, so together they express taking precautions.

Characters in this word

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

  • 戈戈gēhalberd
  • 廾廾gǒnghands

戒 shows 廾 (hands) and 戈 (a halberd) together: hands holding up a weapon as a warning.

Open 戒 →

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 備; 备 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 備 shows a person carrying a quiver, matching the meaning 'ready; prepared'; the simplified 备 is a later abbreviation.

Open 备 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Military & DefenseSafety & Danger

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