保卫
bǎo wèi · HSK 5
to defend
🛡️ 保 = protect + 卫 = guard; together: defend/safeguard
保 means protect (person 亻 + child-like component, the idea of sheltering). 卫 means guard or defend (as in 卫兵 guard-soldier). Stacking two protect/guard morphemes intensifies the meaning into to defend or safeguard.
保 — person 亻 + 呆 (child/protect phonetic)
Originally an ideograph showing an adult carrying a child on the back, meaning to protect or shield. The right side 呆 evolved from a depiction of a swaddled infant. Over time the meaning broadened from 'protect a child' to 'preserve, guarantee, keep safe.'