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守护 (shǒu hù) — to guard, to protect (with dedication, often over a long period)

Definition

守护 (shǒuhù) emphasizes steady, devoted protection over time — like guarding something precious long-term. Stronger and more sustained than 保护 ('to protect' in general), and more dedicated than 护 ('to protect/shield').

verb
to guardto protect (with dedication, often over a long period)

Examples

  • 守护。
    Tā yì shēng dōu zài shǒu hù zhè piàn sēn lín.
    He spent his whole life guarding this forest.
  • 守护。
    Zhàn shì men shì sǐ shǒu hù zǔ guó de biān jiāng.
    The soldiers vowed to defend the motherland's border with their lives.
  • 守护。
    Wǒ men yào shǒu hù hǎo zhè fèn zhēn guì de wén huà yí chǎn.
    We must carefully protect this precious cultural heritage.

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
护hùprotect

The 守 and 护 join guarding and protecting into dedicated watch over someone.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
户
户hù护hù
Same sound today

护 combines 扌 (the hand form 手) with 户, which gives the sound hù.

Open 护 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Safety & Danger5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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