Usage note
保表示保护、保持或保证。
bǎo biǎo shì bǎo hù 、 bǎo chí huò bǎo zhèng。
保 means to protect, keep, or guarantee.
Context note
保常用于安全、健康和承诺。
bǎo cháng yòng yú ān quán 、 jiàn kāng hé chéng nuò。
It is often used for safety, health, and promises.
5 examples
保重身体。
bǎo zhòng shēn tǐ。
Take care of your health.
请保持安静。
qǐng bǎo chí ān jìng。
Please keep quiet.
我们要保护环境。
wǒ men yào bǎo hù huán jìng。
We should protect the environment.
他保证会来。
tā bǎo zhèng huì lái。
He promised to come.
保住了第一名。
bǎo zhù le dì yī míng。
Kept the first place.
5 mini stories
老师提醒大家保管好自己的东西。
lǎo shī tí xǐng dà jiā bǎo guǎn hǎo zì jǐ de dōng xī。
The teacher reminded everyone to keep their belongings safe.
他努力学习，想保住好成绩。
tā nǔ lì xué xí， xiǎng bǎo zhù hǎo chéng jì。
He studied hard and wanted to keep good grades.
天气冷了，要保暖。
tiān qì lěng le， yào bǎo nuǎn。
It got cold, so you need to keep warm.
她希望保留这张照片。
tā xī wàng bǎo liú zhè zhāng zhào piàn。
She hopes to keep this photo.
家人之间要互相保重。
jiā rén zhī jiān yào hù xiāng bǎo zhòng。
Family members should take care of each other.
Mini dialogue
保持安静
A
在图书馆里，我们要保安静。
Zài túshūguǎn lǐ, wǒmen yào bǎo ānjìng.
In the library, we must keep quiet.
B
好的，我会保安静看书。
Hǎo de, wǒ huì bǎo ānjìng kàn shū.
Okay, I will keep quiet and read.
保护环境
A
我们怎么保环境？
Wǒmen zěnme bǎo huánjìng?
How do we keep the environment safe?
B
不乱扔垃圾，就能保环境干净。
Bù luàn rēng lājī, jiù néng bǎo huánjìng gānjìng.
By not littering, we can keep the environment clean.
Related words and contrasts
similar
保护
bǎo hù
to protect
Means to protect or safeguard, closely related to keeping safe.
similar
保持
bǎo chí
to keep; to maintain
Means to keep or maintain a state, like keeping quiet.
contrast
放
fàng
to put; to place
To put or place something, different from the idea of keeping or protecting.