TongTong
Sign in

守备 (shǒu bèi) — to be on garrison duty, to guard (a military post)

Definition

守备 (shǒubèi) is a formal/military verb meaning 'to garrison, to be on guard duty' at a post or border — a permanent defensive stationing, not a temporary action.

verb
to be on garrison dutyto guard (a military post)

Examples

  • 守备。
    Zhè ge bù duì fù zé shǒu bèi biān jìng.
    This unit is responsible for garrisoning the border.
  • ，守备。
    Zài gǔ dài, shì bīng men lún liú shǒu bèi chéng qiáng.
    In ancient times, soldiers took turns garrisoning the city walls.
  • 守备。
    Tā céng zài biān jiāng shǒu bèi le shí nián.
    He once garrisoned the frontier for ten years.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

守shǒuguard
备bèidefend

守 means guard and 备 means defend, so together they mean keeping a military post.

Characters in this word

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

  • 宀宀miánroof; building
  • 寸寸cùnhand

守 pairs 宀, a roof or building, with 寸, a hand, to show a hand guarding a place.

Open 守 →

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
Military & Defense

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.