防守 (fáng shǒu) — to defend, to guard (against attack, threat, or opponent)

Definition

防守 is a sports/military term for actively defending against an opponent or attack. Compared with 防御 and 防卫, it emphasizes in-game tactical defense, while 保护 is broader everyday 'protect.'

verb
to defendto guard (against attack, threat, or opponent)

Examples

  • 防守防守。
    Jūn duì zhèng zài fáng shǒu biān jìng xū yào jūn duì fáng shǒu.
    The border needs the army to defend it.
  • 防守。
    Tā zài lán qiú bǐ sài lǐ fù zé fáng shǒu.
    He is responsible for defending in the basketball game.
  • 防守。
    Wǒ men bì xū fáng shǒu zì jǐ de rén mín.
    We must defend our own people.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

防fángdefend
守shǒuguard

防 and 守 both mean guard, so together they defend against attack.

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
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 →

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

  • 宀宀miánroof; building
  • 寸寸cùnhand

守 pairs 宀, a roof or building, with 寸, a hand, to show a hand guarding a place.

Open 守 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Sports & AthleticsMilitary & Defense5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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