护短 (hù duǎn) — to cover up someone's faults or shortcomings (out of protectiveness or bias)

Definition

护短 means shielding a close person (your child, subordinate, friend) by covering up or excusing their mistake. It always carries a negative judgment — you are being biased, not fair.

verb
to cover up someone's faults or shortcomings (out of protectiveness or bias)

Examples

  • 护短，。
    Tā zǒng shì zài hái zi fàn cuò shí hù duǎn, zhè yàng fǎn ér hài le hái zi.
    He always covers up when his child makes mistakes, which actually harms the child.
  • ，护短，。
    Zuò wéi lǐng dǎo, nǐ bù néng duì xià shǔ hù duǎn, fǒu zé tuán duì huì chū dà wèn tí.
    As a leader, you can't cover up for your subordinates, otherwise the team will have big problems.
  • ，。
    Tā hù le yí cì duǎn, jié guǒ shì qing yuè nào yuè dà.
    He covered things up once, and the situation ended up getting more and more serious.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

护hùprotect
短duǎnshortcoming

To 护 (protect) a 短 (shortcoming) is to shield a fault, often out of bias.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
户
户hù护hù
Same sound today

护 combines 扌 (the hand form 手) with 户, which gives the sound hù.

Open 护 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
矢矢shǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu短duǎn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

短 is built from 矢 and 豆. 豆 is used for its sound, while 矢 is the component linked to the meaning.

Open 短 →

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