TongTong
Sign in

扞卫 (hàn wèi) — to defend, to safeguard, to uphold (a principle, right, territory, or belief)

Definition

扞卫 is a formal, written verb meaning to defend or uphold abstract things like principles, rights, and dignity — stronger and more rhetorical than the everyday 保护.

verb
to defendto safeguardto uphold (a principle, right, territory, or belief)

Examples

  • 扞卫。
    Měi yí wèi gōng mín dōu yǒu zé rèn hàn wèi guó jiā de lì yì.
    Every citizen has the duty to defend the interests of the country.
  • 扞卫，。
    Tā men wèi le hàn wèi zì jǐ de xìn yǎng, bù xī fù chū yí qiè dài jià.
    They spared no expense to safeguard their beliefs.
  • 扞卫。
    Zhè ge zǔ zhī zhì lì yú hàn wèi rén quán hé jī běn zì yóu.
    This organization is committed to upholding human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

扞hàndefend
卫wèidefend

扞 and 卫 both mean defend, so the meaning is protecting or upholding.

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
手手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
干
干gān扞hàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side is 手, the hand, and the right side 干 gives the sound.

Open 扞 →

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 衛; 卫 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
行行xíng
Sound part声符shēngfú
韋
韋wéi衛wèi
Same sound today

The traditional form 衛 is built from 行 as the sense part and 韋 as the sound part; the simplified 卫 is a shorthand.

Open 卫 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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