防 (fáng): to protect, to defend, to guard against
防 (fáng) is a Chinese character meaning “to protect.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 阝 (semantic) and 方 (phonetic). It ranks #548 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 防 wall. Its radical form 阝 (mound) appears in many related characters such as 那 (nà, (specifier) that), 都 (dōu, all), 院 (yuàn, courtyard).
Definitions
- to protect
- to defend
- to guard against
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 防 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 防
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 消防verb | xiāo fáng | firefighting | 6 |
| 防止verb | fáng zhǐ | to prevent | 5 |
| 预防verb | yù fáng | to prevent | 5 |
| 防治verb | fáng zhì | to prevent and cure | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 防守verb | fáng shǒu | to defend |
| 以防万一 | yǐ fáng wàn yī | to guard against the unexpected (idiom) |
| 防御verb | fáng yù | defense |
| 防护verb | fáng hù | to defend |
| 国防部noun | guó fáng bù | Defense Department |
| 防卫verb | fáng wèi | to defend |
| 防线noun | fáng xiàn | defensive line or perimeter |
| 防火墙noun | fáng huǒ qiáng | firewall |
| 消防队noun | xiāo fáng duì | fire department |
| 国防noun | guó fáng | national defense |
| 防备verb | fáng bèi | to guard against |
| 防范verb | fáng fàn | to be on guard |
| 提防verb | dī fang | to guard against |
| 正当防卫 | zhèng dàng fáng wèi | reasonable self-defense |
| 防弹衣noun | fáng dàn yī | bulletproof vest |
防 appears in 104 compound words: 65 as the first character, 25 as the last, and 10 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 防 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (12)
the utmost care could not prevent it from happening; to be impossible to defend effectively
to prevent a disaster before the event (idiom); to nip sth in the bud
to take preventative measures before a disaster occurs; to prevent trouble before it happens
to nip in the bud; to put an end to a bad thing or mistake when it germinates
to guard against the unexpected (idiom); just in case; prepared for any eventualities
the utmost care could not prevent it from happening; to be impossible to defend effectively
to guard against the unexpected (idiom); just in case; prepared for any eventualities
to prevent a disaster before the event (idiom); to nip sth in the bud
to nip in the bud; to put an end to a bad thing or mistake when it germinates
Example Sentences
我在字典里查到了防字的详细解释。
wǒ zài zì diǎn lǐ chá dào le fáng zì de xiáng xì xiè shì .
I looked up the detailed explanation of the character "防" in the dictionary.
预防干眼症、黄斑部病变:食疗与四招护眼操
yù fáng gān yǎn zhèng , huáng bān bù bìng biàn : shí liáo yǔ sì zhāo hù yǎn cāo
Prevent dry eye syndrome and macular degeneration: diet therapy and four-way eye care exercises
澳洲军舰通过台海 国防部:国际水域享有航行权利
ào zhōu jūn jiàn tōng guò tái hǎi guó fáng bù : guó jì shuǐ yù xiǎng yǒu háng háng quán lì
Australian warships pass through the Taiwan Strait Ministry of National Defense: International waters have the right to navigate
澳洲海军两度通过台湾海峡 国防部回应了
ào zhōu hǎi jūn liǎng dù tōng guò tái wān hǎi xiá guó fáng bù huí yīng le
The Australian Navy passed through the Taiwan Strait twice, and the Ministry of Defense responded
大理消防开展防火专项行动:踏查重点林区,对高火险...
dà lǐ xiāo fáng kāi zhǎn fáng huǒ zhuān xiàng háng dòng : tà chá chóng diǎn lín qū , duì gāo huǒ xiǎn . . .
Dali Fire Protection carried out special fire prevention operations: inspected key forest areas and conducted high-fire risk...
马到平安|拒绝 “人从众” 伤害,春节防踩踏 指南..
mǎ dào píng ān jù jué rén cóng zhòng shāng hài , chūn jié fáng cǎi tà zhǐ nán . .
Horse to Safety|Refuse the harm of "people following the crowd", Spring Festival anti-stampede guide:
你能在我的背上涂些防晒霜吗？
Nǐ néng zài wǒ de bèi shàng tú xiē fángshàishuāng ma?
Can you put some suntan lotion on my back?
我们采取了强有力的预防措施。
Wǒmen cǎiqǔ le qiángyǒulì de yùfáng cuòshī.
We took strong measures to prevent it.
消防车到达之前，房子就全烧了。
Xiāofángchē dàodá zhīqián, fángzi jiù quán shāo le.
The house burned to the ground before the fire truck arrived.
这手表有防震功能。
Zhè shǒubiǎo yǒu fángzhèn gōngnéng.
This watch is shock-proof.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 防 (fáng) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 防 and 攻?
How many strokes does 防 have?
What is the radical of 防?
What are the components of 防?
What are common words containing 防?
What characters sound the same as 防 (fáng)?
Is 防 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 防 with real-time feedback
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