衛 (wèi) - To guard, protect, defend & also refers to hygiene, health

衛Tone 4

wèi ｜ 15 strokes ｜ radical:

万响

衛 · wèi

To guard, protect, defend;

also refers to hygiene, health;

a surname;

historically used in names of places and military titles.

To guard, protect, defendalso refers to hygiene, healtha surname

Usage highlights

DefendGuardHygieneHealthDefenseBodyguard

Synonyms

  • 护— to protect, guard
  • 守— to guard, defend
  • 保— to protect, preserve

Antonyms

  • 攻— to attack, assault
  • 犯— to invade, violate

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The soldier defended the border (卫戍边境).
  • Personal hygiene is important (个人卫生).
  • He works in the health department (卫生部).
  • The ancient state of Wei (卫国) existed during the Zhou dynasty.

Collocations

  • Defend(保卫)
  • Guard(守卫)
  • Hygiene(卫生)
  • Health(卫生)
  • Defense(防卫)
  • Bodyguard(卫士)

Idioms

  • To guard one's own views(保残守缺)
  • To defend against aggression(御敌于国门之外)
  • To protect the nation and its people(保家卫国)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted a person walking around a city, symbolizing patrol and defense.
  • The character is strongly associated with health and hygiene in modern Chinese (e.g., 卫生).
  • Historically used in state names (Wei) and military titles throughout Chinese history.

FAQ