拥护
yōng hù · HSK 7
to support
🤝 拥 embrace + 护 protect = to back someone, to endorse and support them
拥 means to embrace or hold, and 护 means to protect or guard. To embrace-and-protect a leader or idea is to endorse and support it. Note 护 hù shares the same right-side 户 as the door radical seen elsewhere.
护 — speech radical 讠 + 户 (door/household)
Originally written 護, combining the speech radical 言 with the phonetic 蒦. The simplified form 护 replaces the right side with 户 (door/household), suggesting guarding a home. The core meaning has long been 'to protect, defend, or shield.'