自卫
zì wèi · HSK 7
self-defense
🛡️ 自 (self) + 卫 (guard) = guarding yourself = self-defense
自 means self (as in 自己, oneself); 卫 means to guard or defend (as in 保卫, to protect). Put together, 自卫 is the act of guarding your own self.
自 — pictograph of a nose
自 originally depicted a human nose, shown frontally with the bridge and nostrils. Ancient Chinese pointed to their own nose to mean 'me,' so 自 shifted to mean 'self' or 'oneself.' A new character 鼻 was later created to carry the original 'nose' meaning.