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维护 (wéi hù) — to safeguard, to defend (rights, interests, justice); to maintain (equipment, relationships, order)

Definition

维护 covers both defending abstract values (rights, justice) and keeping things running (equipment, relationships). Stronger and more formal than 保护, less militant than 捍卫.

verb
to safeguardto defend (rights, interests, justice)to maintain (equipment, relationships, order)

Examples

  • 维护。
    Fǎ lǜ shì yòng lái wéi hù shè huì gōng píng de.
    Law is used to safeguard social fairness.
  • 维护。
    Zhè tái jī qì xū yào dìng qī wéi hù.
    This machine needs regular maintenance.
  • 维护。
    Tā men gòng tóng wéi hù le duō nián de yǒu yì.
    They have jointly maintained years of friendship.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

维wéimaintain
护hùprotect

维 and 护 both mean keep or protect, so together they express safeguarding rights or equipment.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 維; 维 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìthread
Sound part声符shēngfú
唯
唯wéi維wéi
Same sound today

In the traditional form 維, 糸 marks a thread meaning and 唯 provides the sound; the simplified 维 is a later shortened shape.

Open 维 →

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 →
Appears in
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