防暴 (fáng bào) — riot-preventing, anti-riot (used as an attributive modifier)

Definition

Always used as an attributive modifier (防暴警察, 防暴装备, 防暴措施), not as a standalone predicate. Refers to gear, forces, or measures designed to prevent or control riots and violent unrest.

adjective
riot-preventinganti-riot (used as an attributive modifier)

Examples

  • 防暴。
    Zhèng fǔ pài chū le fáng bào jǐng chá wéi chí zhì xù.
    The government dispatched riot police to maintain order.
  • 防暴。
    Zhè xiē fáng bào zhuāng bèi kě yǐ yǒu xiào kòng zhì bào luàn.
    These riot-control equipment can effectively contain riots.
  • 防暴。
    Tā men cǎi qǔ le fáng bào cuò shī fáng zhǐ chōng tū shēng jí.
    They took anti-riot measures to prevent the conflict from escalating.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

防fángprevent
暴bàoriot

防 means to guard against, 暴 the riot or violence, giving anti-riot.

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The earliest form paired 虎 and 戈, a tiger and a weapon. The later 暴 came from a picture of hands drying something in the sun.

Open 暴 →

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