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保送 (bǎo sòng) — to recommend (someone) for admission to a school, university, etc.

Definition

A formal verb meaning to recommend someone (typically a top student or competition winner) for direct admission to a school, bypassing the normal entrance exam. The recommendation is the action of being sent — usually passive in use, as in 被保送.

verb
to recommend (someone) for admission to a school, university, etc.

Examples

  • 保送。
    Tā bèi xué xiào bǎo sòng dào běi jīng dà xué.
    He was recommended by his school to Peking University.
  • 保送。
    Tā yīn wèi chéng jì yōu xiù bèi bǎo sòng le.
    She was recommended because of her excellent grades.
  • 保送。
    Zhè cì bǐ sài de dì yī míng kě yǐ zhí jiē bǎo sòng rù dà xué.
    The first place in this competition can be directly recommended to a university.

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.

保bǎoguarantee
送sòngsend

保 means guarantee and 送 means send; together it means guaranteeing a send.

Characters in this word

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

保 originally showed a person 人 carrying a child 子 on their back, which led to the sense of protecting.

Open 保 →

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòto walk
Sound part声符shēngfú
灷
灷zhuàn送sòng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

送 combines 辶, the walking radical, with 灷, which supplies the sound; the walking part fits meanings like see off or deliver.

Open 送 →
Appears in
School & Education

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