准保 (zhǔn bǎo) — certainly, for sure, guaranteed

Definition

An emphatic 'certainly, for sure' used in casual speech to stress that something will definitely happen. Stronger than 一定, which can also mean 'a certain (one)'.

adverb
certainlyfor sureguaranteed

Examples

  • ，准保。
    Nǐ àn wǒ shuō de zuò, zhǔn bǎo méi cuò.
    Do it the way I said, and it's guaranteed to be right.
  • ，准保。
    Tā yào shi zhī dào le, zhǔn bǎo huì shēng qì.
    If he finds out, he'll definitely get angry.
  • ，准保。
    Zhè yào chī xià qù, zhǔn bǎo néng hǎo.
    Take this medicine, and you'll certainly get better.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

准zhǔnsure
保bǎoguarantee

The senses of 准 (sure) and 保 (guarantee) together mean certainly or for sure.

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 準; 准 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
隼
隼sǔn準zhǔn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 準, not 准, pairs 水 (water) with 隼 as a sound part; the evidence describes it as 'water level'.

Open 准 →

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 →

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