葆 (bǎo) — to grow luxuriantly (of plants); to preserve, to maintain; to nurture, to foster

Definition

Literary verb meaning 'to preserve' or 'to nurture' — used in formal or poetic writing, not everyday speech. Common in set phrases like 永葆 (preserve forever) and 葆育 (nurture).

verb
to grow luxuriantly (of plants)to preserveto maintainto nurtureto foster
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Yǒng bǎo qīng chūn shì hěn duō rén de yuàn wàng.
    Preserving youth forever is many people's wish.
  • ，葆。
    Yǔ hòu de cǎo yuán, cǎo mù bǎo mào.
    After the rain, the grassland's plants grow luxuriantly.
  • 葆。
    Fù mǔ yòng xīn bǎo yù hái zi de chéng zhǎng.
    Parents nurture their children's growth with care.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
艸艸cǎograss
Sound part声符shēngfú
保
保bǎo葆bǎo
Same sound today

葆 is built from 艸 (grass) plus 保, which gives the sound.

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