保密
bǎomì · HSK 4
maintain secrecy
🤫🔒 保 = protect + 密 = secret; together: keep a secret
保 means protect or guard; 密 means secret, dense, or confidential (also seen in 密码 password). Combined, 保密 literally means to guard the secret — to keep something confidential.
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.'
密 — 宀 roof + 必 (phonetic) + 山 mountain
Originally referring to a hidden, sheltered place in the mountains, 密 combines 宀 (roof/cover) over 必 (phonetic) with 山 (mountain) at the base. The meaning extended from 'secluded mountain hideaway' to 'dense, close, secret'. Today it commonly means dense, intimate, or secret.