辩护
biàn hù · HSK 7
to defend
🛡️ biàn hù = debate + protect — argue a shield around someone
辩 (biàn) means to debate or argue, 护 (hù) means to protect or guard. Together they form 'defend' in the legal sense — using words as a shield. Think of a lawyer building a verbal barrier around their client.
辩 — two 辛 (xīn) flanking 讠(speech)
辩 is a phono-semantic compound. The center 讠(speech) gives the meaning—using words—while the two 辛 elements on either side originally depicted disputants or legal parties facing off. Together the form pictures two sides arguing through speech, hence 'to debate, dispute, argue.'
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.'