# 顾



## kinai

Hi.

Unfortunately I don't know chinese, but I'm writting a story and I need to know if there is any chinese word that could have the meaning of: guard, protect and beware, caution.

I found: 顾, but I am not sure if it has the meaning that I need.

Could anyone help me?

Thanks.

Kinai.


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## brofeelgood

顾 means care for, tend to, e.g. 照顾

看守: watch (over)
保护: protect
守卫, 保卫: defend
提防: beware or guard against (imperative)

It would be easier if you could provide the context in which the word is to be used.


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## kinai

Thanks for your answer.

The context inside the story is that a Chinese character receives a secret message asking her to look after a person. But, at the same time,  she has to be careful of this same person.

Before to write it I wanted to be sure that there is a Chinese word or idiogram with both meanings: look after (guard)/be careful (precaution).

Thanks for your help.


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## brofeelgood

I can't think of any word that means both. Maybe someone else has a better idea.

The ones that come to my mind immediately are:

1) Look after - 看顾 or 照料
2) Protect - 守护
2) Be careful of - 小心 or 提防


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## kinai

brofeelgood said:


> I can't think of any word that means both. Maybe someone else has a better idea.
> 
> The ones that come to my mind immediately are:
> 
> 1) Look after - 看顾 or 照料
> 2) Protect - 守护
> 2) Be careful of - 小心 or 提防



It doesnt have to have the same meaning, a similar one would be enough. I like the way that a Chinese word could have a lot of meanings and I wanted to play with it.

Thanks anyway.

Greetings.


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## kinai

After rereading the posts, I think that there was a little confusion.

While it could be great if anyone could tell me a word or idiogram that have both meaning: look after (guard) and be careful (precaution) or something similar. The original question was if it is correct that 顾 has both meanings.

Greetings.


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## Skatinginbc

*看 *(http://www.zdic.net/z/1f/xs/770B.htm)
1. 守护 "look after;take care of;tend"
2. 监视 "keep under surveillance", 提防 "be cautious" (http://www.zdic.net/z/1f/js/770B.htm)


kinai said:


> The original question was if it is correct that 顾 has both meanings.


No, it doesn't.  It could mean "worry" (e.g., 顾虑) but not "be careful or cautious of somebody".


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## brofeelgood

If you stretch it to the limit... it's still at best a maybe.

照顾 - take care (of somebody)
自顾 - take care of yourself / look after your own interests

It's  common for Chinese words to have multiple definitions, but typically,  they do not become obvious until you pair them with other words.

顾及 - take in account
顾客 - customer
顾虑 - misgivings
不顾一切 - (recklessly) ignoring all else
顾己及人 - consider the interests of yourself and others


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## xiaolijie

The word 看守 (as suggested in post #2) seems to be quite close to what the OP is looking for.
看守 here means to watch over, to guard (something precious and also something dangerous).


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## retrogradedwithwind

If the Chinese character in your story is endowed with rich knowledge of Chinese history, I think you can pick  this sentence:
彼乃质子也。 or 他是质子。 or 他是（某某人、某某国、某某势力的）质子。

质子 has two meanings:
1, in physics, it means a proton (一个质子）。
2, in history, it means a prince who is one of a king's* descendents and who is sent to other kingdoms as a hostage in order to embody the alliance between the two kingdoms or the obedience - one kingdom is in obedience to another.
It is spontaneous to take care of and be careful of a 质子.

* A king is not identical to a 质子's father. Only to facilitate my interpretation I use the word king.

他是（某某人、某某国、某某势力的）质子 means he is a 质子 sent by a person, a kingdom or an orgnization.

And btw, is "Only to facilitate my interpretation I use the word king" correct?


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## kinai

retrogradedwithwind said:


> If the Chinese character in your story is endowed with rich knowledge of Chinese history, I think you can pick  this sentence:
> 彼乃质子也。 or 他是质子。 or 他是（某某人、某某国、某某势力的）质子。
> 
> 质子 has two meanings:
> 1, in physics, it means a proton (一个质子）。
> 2, in history, it means a prince who is one of a king's* descendents and who is sent to other kingdoms as a hostage in order to embody the alliance between the two kingdoms or the obedience - one kingdom is in obedience to another.
> It is spontaneous to take care of and be careful of a 质子.
> 
> * A king is not identical to a 质子's father. Only to facilitate my interpretation I use the word king.
> 
> 他是（某某人、某某国、某某势力的）质子 means he is a 质子 sent by a person, a kingdom or an orgnization.
> 
> And btw, is "Only to facilitate my interpretation I use the word king" correct?


 
It is not my idea, but I think that it could work wonderfully.

Could you tell me the translation, please?

Thanks for everybody's answers.

Kinai.


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## zuoanbeibingyang

Here is an idiom comes to my mind!!! 
伴君如伴虎

Your sentence could be:
她需要在保护他的同时堤防他,真是伴君如伴虎啊!

"伴": accompany.
"君": king, emperor. but it could be the one you emphasized in the sentence.
"伴君如伴虎": Accompany a king is as dangerous as accompany a tiger.


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## Skatinginbc

Hi, Kinai, can you please clarify if this is what you need: A single  Chinese ideogram (i.e., character) that carries the meanings of both (1)  "look after/guard/protect" and (2) "beware/be cautious".  I imagine it  is a scenario in which a person receives a secret note that contains  only one Chinese ideogram (字条上只有一个中文字).  Or have I got you wrong?


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## retrogradedwithwind

Kinai, if what you need is a character, I cannot come up with one; if you need a sentence, I think it denpends on the context very much.

I think the simplest and least precise one is:
他是质子 = he is a 质子。


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## kinai

Skatinginbc said:


> Hi, Kinai, can you please clarify if this is what you need: A single  Chinese ideogram (i.e., character) that carries the meanings of both (1)  "look after/guard/protect" and (2) "beware/be cautious".  I imagine it  is a scenario in which a person receives a secret note that contains  only one Chinese ideogram (字条上只有一个中文字).  Or have I got you wrong?


 
Hi.

She is  a matriarch of an ancient Chinese tribe, and she receives an innocent letter where appears a name. Above this name, wrote which invisible ink is the warning that I am asking about

I would prefer only an idiogram or word, but a sentence could work fine.

If it is an ancient saying, she would know it. So perhaps I can use a part of it: 质子 only instead of 他是质子.

Of couse, I would need the english translation because IIam writting it in English. But I wanted to know if it is possible to send the menssage as I think or not.

Sorry for the delay to answer.

Greetings.


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## brofeelgood

I presume an element of ambiguity is required here? In that case, 质子 is not the word you want. It literally means hostage (人质).


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## kinai

brofeelgood said:


> I presume an element of ambiguity is required here? In that case, 质子 is not the word you want. It literally means hostage (人质).



Yes, you are right.

By the way, hostage (质子) could work because an hostage is someone that you have to guard and look after, but I was thinking in a verb because it is suppose to be an order or suggestion.

Greetings.


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## Skatinginbc

If English "guard that hostage" works for you, then you may consider *看**好*人质.


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## xxlyjh

kinai said:


> Yes, you are right.
> 
> By the way, hostage (质子) could work because an hostage is someone that you have to guard and look after, but I was thinking in a verb because it is suppose to be an order or suggestion.
> 
> Greetings.



Yes I agree with Skatingginbc, but have a little different, I suggest that you use the word "看", it means look basically, but there are other meanings also,which are "protect, beware,caution".


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## retrogradedwithwind

人质怎么会和质子一样
至少两点不同：
人质是被绑来的；质子是主动送上门的
质子可以被认为是广泛意义上的人质；不过人质一般都没资格称质子
===============

Hi, kinai, I think we can solve your conundrum by two means:
1, directly and precisely write down what you want to express by some Chinese idiograms (charecters), like：
审其行，餍其欲, means that discreetly scrutinize him and flawlessly satisfy him.
且质子遇之 means that tentatively (or temporarily) treat him as a 质子 (but when you use this sentence, you must ensure that "the name" is under the matriarch's control, or at least "the name" does his things by the time in the matriarch's domain).

These two sentences are written classically, just like classic Chinese.

2, you could tell us the relation between the matriarch and "the name". Maybe we can put forward a story from the Chinese history that is a analogy with the relation so as to write something about the story to meet your requirements: opaque and misterious.


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## brofeelgood

若非被逼,谁会在毫无条件之下心甘情愿送个亲人去作质子?

汉典里,
"质子"的解释为 (2) [hostage]∶古时派往别国做人质的人,多为王子或诸侯之子
"人质"的解释为 (2) [hostage]∶通常指被交给另一方的人,以作为对交付人或交付机构的良好意图的保证


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## retrogradedwithwind

送质子这种行为不都是被迫的，也有主动的。 比如秦始皇他爹子楚跑赵国当质子，也是被逼的？主要是他爷爷不喜欢他爹，也算“被逼”。

搜了一段：
汉使王乌等窥匈奴。匈奴法，汉使非去节而以墨黥其面者不得入穹庐。王乌，北地人，习胡俗，去其节，黥面，得入穹庐。单于爱之，详许甘言，为遣其太子入汉为质，以求和亲。

简单来说，质子当然可以算是人质，但还是我上面说的两点区别。还可以加一点区别：地位不同。人质是完全的砧板上的肉，任人宰割；质子享有很大的人身自由，地位甚高。

在文本中，用人质代替质子，虽然太不精确，大致还行得通；但反过来做绝对不行。


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## brofeelgood

人质/质子的定义不在于被遣走的前提,而是在彼地被人利用的身份和作用.日子过得好不好也改变不了他被扣留的目的.

再说史记85卷 吕不韦列传:

呂不韋者，陽翟大賈人也。往來販賤賣貴，家累千金。


秦昭王四十年，太子死。其四十二年，以其次子安國君為太子。安國君有子二十餘人。安國君有所甚愛姬，立以為正夫人，號曰華陽夫人。華陽夫人無子。安國君中男名子楚，子楚母曰夏姬，毋愛。子楚為秦質子於趙。秦數攻趙，*趙不甚禮子楚。*

想必子楚的日子也好不到哪去啊.


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## kinai

xxlyjh said:


> Yes I agree with Skatingginbc, but have a little different, I suggest that you use the word "看", it means look basically, but there are other meanings also,which are "protect, beware,caution".


 
Thanks for all your help. I am going to follow xxlyjh's advice and  use "看" (Kàn), because it is exactly that I am searching for. 

Curiously, Google translate 质子 as proton. 

Greetings.


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## xxlyjh

U are welcome Kinai

One thing you have to mention is that many Chinese words not only have different meanings for one word, but have different pronunciations.

In your context, 看 is pronounced as "kān".

质子 in Modern Chinese is just a physical conception, yes, proton.

Don't fall into Ancient Chinese, it is a big hole, black hole, you will take much time to learn  and get very confused about Chinese.


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## retrogradedwithwind

Kinai doesn't intend to learn Chinese. What Kinai needs is just a phrase or sentence to complete his story.

However, given your insufficient knowledge of Chinese, Kinai, my suggestion is that you'd better finish your story first and then look for a Chinese person to write that phrase.


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## Ditundat

Hi，Kinai, 

I do not think that just an ideogram or a single words can take two completely difference meaning. I thought over either English or German, And I couldn't find any.

If I understand you correctly, you want to know the easy way to describe the character in your story. She need to protect one person and at the same time she has been warned she should be careful of this person. Do I understand you correct?

她的任务是去保护一个人，同时还需要隄防同一个人。
in your story is take care of, her first behave is to look after, or guard, protect and so on. 在中文里是看管，保护等等：
Her second charter is meantime be careful of him. 中文是 隄防，和看管的含义完全不一样。

Therefore rewriting your story in Chinese is 
她的任务是去保护一个人，同时还需要隄防同一个人。

If depicting in English, might picture it in this sentence,
Her job is very ridiculers. She has been asked to protect one man also herself (from fraud or whatever).


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## brofeelgood

Ditundat said:


> Hi，Kinai,
> 
> I do not think that just an ideogram or a single words can take two completely difference meaning. I thought over either English or German, And I couldn't find any.



That's not true. There are many words in English and German that carry different meanings:

EN: bear, lean, desert
DE: Band, See, Steuer

It's pretty prevalent in Chinese too (多义字): 长, 重, 调


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## Ditundat

you are right. There have lots words carrying many meaning occasionally. When we talk about kinal's question, he did not looking for the word carrying different meaning. He is looking a word just one word to picture the character two different circumstances: To look after one person, meanwhile need to be careful with the same person. I would rather say it is quite rare that one word can carry two different character circumstances at the same time. But when we use the preposition word, story can be down. Would you agree with me?
In Chinese, we can use different words to finish characterization, but also it is a possible use one word to complete the story along with 介词 (preposition).
她的任务是保护人质还有她自己。


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