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防备 (fáng bèi) — to guard against; to take precautions against

Definition

防备 is a deliberate, often repeated action of guarding against a threat. Compared with 预防 (prevent beforehand), it focuses on staying alert and being ready to respond, not stopping the cause.

verb
to guard againstto take precautions against

Examples

  • 防备，。
    Chū mén qián yào fáng bèi xià yǔ, zuì hǎo dài bǎ sǎn.
    Before going out, you should guard against rain; it's best to bring an umbrella.
  • 防备。
    Gōng sī yǐ jīng cǎi qǔ le cuò shī lái fáng bèi wǎng luò gōng jī.
    The company has already taken measures to guard against cyber attacks.
  • 防备。
    Tí gāo ān quán yì shí kě yǐ yǒu xiào dì fáng bèi yì wài shì gù.
    Raising safety awareness can effectively guard against accidents.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

防fángguard
备bèiprepare

防 means to guard and 备 to prepare, so together they mean take precautions 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.

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 →

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
Safety & Danger

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