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护兵 (hù bīng) — bodyguard; military guard

Definition

护兵 (hùbīng) refers specifically to soldiers assigned to guard a person or a place, blending the roles of bodyguard and military sentry — not a private civilian bodyguard (保镖) nor a general soldier (士兵).

noun
bodyguardmilitary guard
Measure word · 名

Examples

  • 护兵。
    Tā de hù bīng yì zhí zhàn zài mén kǒu.
    His bodyguard stood at the door.
  • 护兵。
    Zhè wèi jiāng jūn shēn biān yǒu shí míng hù bīng.
    This general has ten bodyguards around him.
  • 护兵。
    Nà xiē hù bīng fù zé bǎo hù huáng gōng de ān quán.
    Those military guards are responsible for protecting the palace's security.

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.

护hùguard
兵bīngsoldier

护 describes guarding duty, and 兵 means soldier, giving the sense of a guard or bodyguard.

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
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 →

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

  • 斤斤jīna short axe
  • 廾廾gǒng2 hands

兵 combines 斤, a short axe, with 廾, two hands, showing a pair of hands holding a weapon.

Open 兵 →
Appears in
Military & DefenseProfessions & Jobs

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