Taxonomy of meanings for 保:  

  • 保 bǎo (OC: puuʔ MC: pɑu) 博抱切 上 廣韻:【任也安也守也説文作𠈃養也亦姓吕氏春秋云楚有𠈃申爲文王傳也 】
    • SAFEGUARD
      • vtoNsafeguard, keep secure; keep to oneself; protect properly; HF 5.2.20: keep (one purposes) secure and secret
      • vtoNmutualprotect (each other)
      • vtoNpassivebe kept safe and secure
      • vtoNpsychsafeguard (oneself)
      • vtoNabfigurativesafeguard and ensureCH
      • vtoNreflexive.身keep one's person safeCH
      • stative: passive>PEACEFUL
        • agent> NANNY
        • continuative>KEEP
            • ownership>POSSESS
              • ntpossession, what is possessed
              • vtoNprogressivecontinue to enjoy the posession of something
          • military>DEFEND
            • vadNdefended> fortified
            • vtoNdefend against enemies and keep secure
            • viactdefend oneself, make defensive arrangements
            • vt[oN]defend against enemiesLZ
            • generalised>HELP
                • continutative>NOURISH
                  • by joining forces with>RALLY
                      • by following instructions>OBEY
                        • vtoNobey carefully and meticulously
                        • vttoN1.+N2N2=timeobey N1 for the time N2DS
                    • linguistic>PROMISE
                      • vtoNguarantee
                      • vtoSpassiveconsider as necessary > guarantee that S
                      • passive>CERTAIN
                        • vadVby garantee > certainly
                        • vtoNdeclare something to be certain> guarantee
                        • psychological>KNOW
                        • generalised>GUARANTEE
                  • =堡FORTRESS
                    • nfortified compound; permanent defensive physical arrangements
                  • =褓
                • bǎoAPPRECIATE
                  • vtoNcare for and value highlyCH

                Additional information about 保

                說文解字:

                  Criteria
                • DEFEND

                  1. The standard general word for defending a community is wèi 衛 (ant. gōng 攻 "attack").

                  2. The standard word for defending a place is shǒu 守 (ant. gōng 攻 "attack").

                  3. Yù 禦 is to hinder attack effectively and successfully. See HINDER

                  4. Fáng 防 refers to defending a concrete or abstract thing successfully.

                  5. Hàn 扞 / 捍 is to try to resist an outside attack successfully.

                  6. Bǎo 保 is to try to ensure the safety of one's place against a threat from outside.

                  7. Shù 戍 put up a (not necessarily successful) military defense.

                  8. Bèi 備 is to make defensive arrangements.

                  9. Yù 豫 is to make defensive arrangements well ahead in time or in good time. [See also PREPARE][CA]

                  10. Kàng 亢 typically refers to the mounting of a vigorous and energetic offensive defence against a violent attack.

                • SAFEGUARD

                  1. Bǎo 保 (which emphasises safety against dangers or threats) and shǒu 守 (which emphasises good care and the ensuring that something is not lost or impaired) are the two general words for safeguarding things.

                  2. Quán 全 refers specifically to keeping a thing in perfect undiminished shape.

                  3. Chí 持 refers specifically to supporting something in a vigorous and sound state.

                  4. Bì 庇 refers to protection of inferiors by their superiors.

                  5. Hù 護 typically refers to protection of superiors by inferiors.

                • FORTRESS

                  1. The general word for a fortified place smaller than a city is bǎo 保/堡.

                  2. Lěi 壘 refers to a fortified military position, and this meaning is often difficult to distinguish from the usages discussed under RAMPART.

                  NB: Zhài 寨 refers to an encampment with timber fortifications only in post-Han (TANG) times.

                  Word relations
                • Ant: (SAFEGUARD)棄/DISREGARD Qì 棄 is to reject as unworthy of one's attention and often to disregard defiantly.
                • Assoc: (DEFEND)輔/HELP Zuǒ 佐, yòu 佑 (deriving their meaning from the position of aides near the ruler), and also fǔ 輔 refer to official assistance in a formal context.
                • Synon: (CERTAIN)信/TRUE Xìn 信 (ant. zhà 詐 "fraudulent and not reliable") refers prototypically to reliablity as information.
                • Synon: (SAFEGUARD)全/SAFEGUARD Quán 全 refers specifically to keeping a thing in perfect undiminished shape.