保 bǎo — to defend; to protect; to insure or guarantee; to maintain; hold or keep; to guard
多喝水可以保护嗓子。Duō hē shuǐ kě yǐ bǎo hù sǎng zi.Drinking more water can protect your throat.
Common words: 保护 (bǎo hù)、保证 (bǎo zhèng)、保持 (bǎo chí)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to maintain"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to maintain", including 保 (bǎo), 维 (wéi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to maintain" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 保 (bǎo), 维 (wéi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span bǎo, wéi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 保 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 保 bǎoto defend; to protect; to insure or guarantee; to maintain; hold or keep; to guardUseful words: 保护, 保证
- 维 wéito preserve; to maintain; to hold together; dimensionUseful words: 维持, 维护
Common words for these 2 "to maintain" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 保 (bǎo) — so "to maintain" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
保护bǎo hùto protect; to defend; to safeguard; protection保证bǎo zhèngguarantee; to guarantee; to ensure; to safeguard保持bǎo chíto keep; to maintain; to hold; to preserve维持wéi chíto keep; to maintain; to preserve维护wéi hùto defend; to safeguard; to protect; to uphold维修wéi xiūmaintenance (of equipment); to protect and maintain
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "to maintain".
维 wéi — to preserve; to maintain; to hold together; dimension
我们要维护教室的卫生。Wǒ men yào wéi hù jiào shì de wèi shēng.We should keep the classroom clean.
Common words: 维持 (wéi chí)、维护 (wéi hù)、维修 (wéi xiū)
All 2 characters
Open 保、维 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.