边防 (biān fáng) — frontier defense; border defense

Definition

noun

frontier defenseborder defense

Examples

边防。
Tā céng zài biān fáng bù duì fú yì sān nián.
He served in the border defense forces for three years.
边防，。
Zhè lǐ shì biān fáng jiǎn chá zhàn, qǐng chū shì zhèng jiàn.
This is a border checkpoint; please show your ID.
边防。
Jiā qiáng biān fáng jiàn shè duì guó jiā ān quán hěn zhòng yào.
Strengthening border defense construction is very important for national 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.

边biānborder

防fángdefense

边 points to the border and 防 to its defense.

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 邊; 边 is its simplified writing.

辶臱邊

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuòwalking; movement

Sound part声符shēngfú

臱

臱mián邊biān(r)

Same sound today

The traditional form 邊 pairs 辶 (walking; movement) with the sound part 臱; the simplified 边 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 边 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

阝方防

Meaning part形符xíngfú

阝Written in full as阜fù

Sound part声符shēngfú

方

方fāng防fáng

Same sound today

防 pairs 阝 (written fully as 阜) with 方, which gives the sound.

Open 防 →

Appears in