戍 (shù) - to guard & to defend

戍Tone 4

shù ｜ 6 strokes ｜ radical: 戈

姝树

戍 · shù

to guard;

to defend;

garrison duty;

military service at the frontiers

to guardto defendgarrison duty

Usage highlights

guard the frontierfrontier garrisongarrison soldiergarrison dutygarrison outpostgarrison tower

Synonyms

  • 守— to guard, to defend
  • 卫— to guard, to protect
  • 防— to defend, to guard against

Antonyms

  • 攻— to attack, to assault
  • 侵— to invade, to intrude

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The soldiers were stationed to guard the border (戍边).
  • He served in the frontier garrison (戍守边疆).
  • This was an ancient military outpost (戍所).

Collocations

  • guard the frontier(戍边)
  • frontier garrison(戍守)
  • garrison soldier(戍卒)
  • garrison duty(戍役)
  • garrison outpost(戍所)
  • garrison tower(戍楼)

Idioms

  • Garrisoning the frontiers for ten thousand miles(万里戍边)
  • Guarding the frontiers and defending the territory(戍边守疆)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted a person holding a weapon (戈) for defense, representing military garrison duty.
  • Historically associated with frontier defense and military service in ancient China.
  • Often appears in classical poetry describing the hardships of frontier life.

FAQ