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确保 (què bǎo) — to ensure, to guarantee

Definition

确保 (quèbǎo) is a formal verb meaning 'to make sure / ensure' an outcome happens — stronger than 保证 (which can also mean 'to promise') and more about securing a result than 确定 ('to confirm').

verb
to ensureto guarantee

Examples

  • 确保。
    Gōng sī què bǎo měi wèi yuán gōng dōu yǒu bǎo xiǎn.
    The company ensures every employee has insurance.
  • 确保。
    Chū fā qián qǐng què bǎo dài hǎo hù zhào.
    Please make sure to bring your passport before departure.
  • 确保。
    Wǒ men xū yào què bǎo shù jù zhǔn què.
    We need to ensure the data is accurate.

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.

确quèfirm
保bǎoguarantee

确 'firmly' and 保 'guarantee' combine to mean to make sure.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 確; 确 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
石石shírock
Sound part声符shēngfú
隺
隺hè確què
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 確 combines 石, a rock, with 隺 for its sound; the idea is something rock-solid and certain. The simplified 确 is a shorthand.

Open 确 →

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

保 originally showed a person 人 carrying a child 子 on their back, which led to the sense of protecting.

Open 保 →
Appears in
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