监护

• Pinyin: jiān hù
• Hanzi breakdown: 监 = 臣 + 皿 (official oversight from above); 护 = 扌 + 户 (hand + household door — protecting with hands)

Meaning

To act as guardian; to have legal custody of. Refers to the legal responsibility for the care and protection of a minor or incapacitated person.

A legal term used in family law, hospital settings, and social welfare contexts. 监护人 (guardian) is the person with legal guardianship. In hospitals, 监护 also refers to medical monitoring (as in 重症监护室, ICU). These two senses are distinct: legal guardianship vs. medical monitoring.

Examples

1. 法院将孩子的监护权判给了母亲。 The court awarded custody of the child to the mother.
2. 父母是未成年子女的法定监护人。 Parents are the legal guardians of their minor children.
3. 患者术后被转入重症监护室进行密切观察。 After surgery, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit for close monitoring.

Usage Guide

Context: family law, social welfare, medicine, child protection, legal proceedings

Tone: official

Do Say

• 父母无法继续履行监护职责时，法院可依法指定近亲属或机构担任监护人。(When parents can no longer fulfill their guardianship duties, the court may appoint close relatives or institutions as guardians in accordance with the law.)
• 重症监护室全天候监护生命体征异常患者，设备和护理团队共同守住最后防线。(The intensive care unit provides round-the-clock monitoring for patients with abnormal vital signs, and its equipment and nursing team together hold the final line of defense.)

Don't Say

• 监护 has two distinct meanings: legal guardianship and medical monitoring — do not confuse the two contexts. 监护权 (guardianship rights) is a legal term; 重症监护 (intensive monitoring) is medical. In general speech, avoid using 监护 loosely — use 照顾 for informal care and 保护 for general protection.

Origin & History

监 (to oversee; to watch over) + 护 (to protect; to guard — 扌 hand + 户 household — shielding a home or person with one's hands)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal