保险

• Pinyin: bǎo xiǎn
• Hanzi breakdown: 保 = 亻(person) + 呆 (phonetic), meaning protect; 险 = 阝(hill) + 佥 (all, phonetic), meaning danger

Meaning

Insurance; safe; secure. As a noun, refers to insurance policies. As an adjective, means reliable or safe.

Very common in modern life: 医疗保险 (health insurance), 汽车保险 (car insurance), 人寿保险 (life insurance). As an adjective, means something is a safe bet or reliable approach.

Examples

1. 你买医疗保险了吗？ Have you bought health insurance?
2. 出门旅行最好买一份旅游保险。 It's best to buy travel insurance when going on a trip.
3. 把钱存银行比较保险。 Depositing money in the bank is relatively safe.

Usage Guide

Context: finance, safety, everyday

Tone: practical

Do Say

• 公司给员工买了社会保险。(The company bought social insurance for its employees.)
• 这样做比较保险。(Doing it this way is safer.)

Don't Say

• 这个很保险好吃 (Don't combine 保险 with sensory adjectives — 保险 as an adjective means 'safe/reliable,' not 'certainly.' Say 这个肯定好吃)

Origin & History

Compound of 保 (to protect) and 险 (danger, risk), literally 'protect against risk.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal