爱护
àihù · HSK 4
take good care of
💝 爱护 = 爱 (love) + 护 (protect): love-protect = cherish
The two characters stack their meanings literally: 爱 (ài, love) plus 护 (hù, guard/protect) gives the sense of loving care — to treasure something enough to shield it from harm.
爱 — 爫 (claw) + 冖 (cover) + 心 (heart) + 夂 (slow walk)
Originally written 㤅, showing a heart 心 with breath above, depicting deep feeling. The modern form adds 夂 (a slow-walking foot) below, suggesting reluctance to leave a loved one. The traditional form 愛 keeps 心 inside; simplified 爱 drops the heart but retains the meaning 'love, cherish'.
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.'