保存
bǎocún · HSK 3
keep
💾 保 (protect) + 存 (exist) = keep something in existence
保 means protect or safeguard; 存 means to exist or store. Together they mean preserving or keeping something so it continues to exist — used for saving files, conserving resources, or storing items.
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.'
存 — 才 (talent/sprout) + 子 (child)
Originally written with 才 (a sprout breaking ground) over 子 (child), suggesting a child being raised or kept alive. The character came to mean 'to exist, to remain, to preserve.' Modern uses like 存在 (exist) and 保存 (preserve) reflect this core sense of continued being.
bǎocún · HSK 4
to save
💾 保 = protect + 存 = exist → keep something existing = preserve/save
保 (bǎo) means protect or guard; 存 (cún) means to exist or be present. Together they mean keeping something in existence — saving or preserving it, whether a file, food, or memory.
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.'
存 — 才 (talent/sprout) + 子 (child)
Originally written with 才 (a sprout breaking ground) over 子 (child), suggesting a child being raised or kept alive. The character came to mean 'to exist, to remain, to preserve.' Modern uses like 存在 (exist) and 保存 (preserve) reflect this core sense of continued being.