防疫
fáng yì · HSK 7
disease prevention
🛡️🦠 fáng = defend/guard + yì = epidemic — a shield against disease
防 means to defend or guard against, while 疫 means epidemic or plague. Together they form the concept of disease prevention — building defenses before sickness arrives.
防 — mound radical 阝(阜) + 方 fāng (phonetic)
防 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left element 阝 (from 阜) depicts a mound or earthen embankment, suggesting barriers and defense. The right element 方 supplies the sound. Together they evoke a dike or rampart that guards against floods or attacks, hence 'to guard, prevent, defend'.