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看管 (kān guǎn) — to look after, to guard, to take charge of

Definition

看管 (kānguǎn) means to look after or guard something temporarily, like valuables or animals. Stronger and more hands-on than 管, which is more about managing; 守护 is for long-term protection with dedication.

verb
to look afterto guardto take charge of

Examples

  • 看管。
    Tā měi tiān kān guǎn zhè xiē dòng wù.
    He looks after these animals every day.
  • 看管。
    Qǐng xiǎo xīn kān guǎn nǐ de guì zhòng wù pǐn.
    Please take good care of your valuables.
  • 看管。
    Zhè ge xiǎo qū yǒu bǎo ān kān guǎn dà mén.
    This neighborhood has security guards watching the gate.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

看kànwatch/look after
管guǎnmanage/guard

看 means to watch or look after, and 管 means to manage or guard, so together they mean to keep watch over something.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 看 puts 手 (hand) over 目 (eye), showing a hand placed above the eyes to gaze into the distance.

Open 看 →

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
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
官
官guān管guǎn
Same sound today

管 has 竹 (bamboo) on top to show it relates to bamboo, and 官 gives its sound.

Open 管 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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