The word 保护 (bǎohù), meaning "to protect", is formed through a logical, conceptual combination of its two component characters. The first character, 保, originally depicted a person carrying a child on their back, conveying the core ideas of nurturing, preserving, and keeping safe. The second, 护 (護), incorporates the hand radical (扌) and carries connotations of guarding, shielding, and defending from the outside. Together, they create a composite idea where 保 provides the fundamental sense of preservation and care, and 护 adds the active, defensive action of shielding, resulting in the full, nuanced concept of active protection and safeguarding.