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adjective / verb HSK 5
bǎo shǒu
conservative · to guard · to keep (a secret) · cautious

Meaning

保守 primarily means 'conservative' in the sense of being traditional, cautious, or resistant to change. It can describe people, attitudes, or estimates. As a verb, it means to guard or keep something, especially secrets.

Usage

Most commonly used as an adjective to describe conservative people, thinking, or estimates. When describing someone's personality or political views, it carries a neutral to slightly negative connotation of being old-fashioned or overly cautious. The verb usage 保守秘密 (to keep a secret) is also very common.

Examples

  1. 01
    他的父母思想比较保守，不太接受新事物。
    Tā de fù mǔ sī xiǎng bǐ jiào bǎo shǒu, bù tài jiē shòu xīn shì wù.
    His parents are quite conservative in their thinking and don't readily accept new things.
  2. 02
    你一定要帮我保守这个秘密，不能告诉任何人。
    Nǐ yī dìng yào bāng wǒ bǎo shǒu zhè ge mì mì, bù néng gào sù rèn hé rén.
    You must help me keep this secret and not tell anyone.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 保守秘密
    bǎo shǒu mì mì
    to keep a secret
  • 保守派
    bǎo shǒu pài
    conservative faction
  • 思想保守
    sī xiǎng bǎo shǒu
    conservative thinking
  • 保守估计
    bǎo shǒu gū jì
    conservative estimate

Antonyms

Origin

Compound of 保 (protect) and 守 (guard), literally meaning 'to protect and guard.' The meaning evolved from physically guarding something to maintaining traditional ways or being cautious about change.

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