(yǎn hù) - to cover, to shield, to screen in Mandarin
yǎnhùTraditional: 掩護
Translation
to cover, to shield, to screen
Word origin
A compound of 掩 (yǎn, to cover over, to shut) and 护 (hù, to protect), covering something in order to keep it safe.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 掩 (yǎn, to cover over) + 护 (hù, to protect)
Stroke order
掩
护
Examples
，。
You go first, I will cover you.
。
They were shielding their injured companion behind the trees.
。
The darkness became their best cover.
。
That company is nothing but a front.
。
The unit needs someone to cover the retreat.
掩护 (yǎnhù) is covering fire and covering movement: putting something between danger and the person you are protecting. It belongs to war films, police dramas and escape stories, and the classic line 我掩护你 is exactly the English "I will cover you".
It doubles as a noun for the cover itself, whether that is physical, as in 夜色成了掩护, or a front used to hide an operation, as in 这家公司只是个掩护. Both senses keep the same core idea of concealment in the service of protection.
The trap is the English verb "cover", which sprawls in ways 掩护 does not. Covering a pan is 盖 (gài). Covering up a mistake or a scandal is 掩盖 (yǎngài), one character different and easy to confuse. Covering a cost is 支付, covering a topic in class is 讲. Reach for 掩护 only when somebody is being shielded from something that could hurt them.
Where this fits
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掩护: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "掩护" (to cover, to shield, to screen): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 54.