捍卫

• Pinyin: hàn wèi
• Hanzi breakdown: 捍 = 扌(hand radical) + 旱 (phonetic component) — to stand firm with one's hands; 卫 = simplified from 衛 — to guard on all sides

Meaning

To defend; to safeguard; to uphold — to actively protect something valuable such as rights, sovereignty, principles, or honour against threats or challenges.

More active and forceful than 保护 (to protect) or 维护 (to maintain/uphold). Implies commitment and determination in the face of challenge or attack. Common in political, legal, military, and principled contexts. The object is typically an abstract value rather than a physical object.

Examples

1. 这位律师倾尽所能捍卫当事人的合法权益，最终使一起错判案件得以平反昭雪。 This lawyer did everything possible to defend the client's lawful rights and interests, ultimately clearing a wrongly decided case.
2. 边防战士们用鲜血与生命捍卫着祖国的领土完整，书写了无数感天动地的英雄篇章。 Border troops defend the country's territorial integrity with their blood and lives, writing countless moving chapters of heroism.
3. 新闻媒体有责任捍卫公众的知情权，并对权力的不当行使保持高度警惕。 News media have a responsibility to safeguard the public's right to know and remain highly vigilant against abuses of power.

Usage Guide

Context: military, law, politics, rights, journalism

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 全体公民都有义务捍卫国家主权和领土完整，这是写入宪法的基本职责。(All citizens have the obligation to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity — this is a fundamental duty written into the constitution.)
• 他在出庭时慷慨陈词，誓要捍卫那些因制度性歧视而无法为自己发声的弱势群体的基本权利。(He spoke passionately in court, vowing to defend the basic rights of those marginalised groups who cannot speak for themselves due to systemic discrimination.)

Don't Say

• 捍卫 for protecting physical objects or everyday belongings — 捍卫 is reserved for abstract values, rights, and principles; for protecting objects use 保护

Origin & History

捍 (to defend, to guard) + 卫 (to guard, to protect) — both characters carry the meaning of guarding, forming an emphatic compound

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal