谨防 (jǐn fáng) — to guard against, to beware of

Definition

A formal verb meaning 'guard against' — used in warnings, notices, and written contexts (signs, announcements, news). Often translated as 'beware of' on signs and labels.

verb
to guard againstto beware of

Examples

  • 谨防。
    Wǎng shàng gòu wù yào jǐn fáng zhà piàn.
    When shopping online, beware of fraud.
  • 谨防，。
    Chú fáng lǐ jǐn fáng huǒ zāi, yòng wán méi qì yào guān hǎo.
    In the kitchen, guard against fire; turn off the gas after using it.
  • 谨防。
    Mǎi míng pái shí jǐn fáng jiǎ huò.
    When buying brand-name products, beware of counterfeit goods.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

谨jǐncareful
防fángguard

The careful sense of 谨 combines with 防 to mean guarding against something.

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 謹; 谨 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
堇
堇jǐn謹jǐn
Same sound today

The traditional form 謹 has 言, speech, beside 堇, which gives the sound; the whole character means to speak cautiously. The simplified 谨 is a shorthand.

Open 谨 →

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
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng防fáng
Same sound today

防 pairs 阝 (written fully as 阜) with 方, which gives the sound.

Open 防 →

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