A character that will never let down its guard

衛(wèi)：千年的守護

“Take up arms, brandish spears/Defend our homes, defend the Yellow River, defend North China, and defend the whole country! (端起了土槍洋槍，揮動著大刀長矛,保衛(wèi)家鄉(xiāng)，保衛(wèi)黃河, 保衛(wèi)華北，保衛(wèi)全中國!)”composer Xian Xinghai’s Yellow River Cantata thunders in its seventh movement, “Protect the Yellow River,” which takes its lyrics from a verse by the patriotic poet Guang Weiran.

Written in 1939 to inspire patriotic resistance in the midst of China’s struggles against Japanese invasion, the renowned chorus drew on the millennia-old metaphor of 保家衛(wèi)國 (bǎojiā-wèiguó, protecting homes and safeguarding the country), which is still widely regarded as an honorable mission for soldiers as well as ordinary people.

First appearing in oracle bone inscriptions over 3,000 years ago, the character 衛(wèi) was originally a pictogram depicting a city flanked by two streets. In its traditional form, the top and bottom portions of the middle radical,, represents two guards patrolling the streets of the city. The simplified form, 衛(wèi), is derived from the upper part of the middle radical.

The meaning of 衛(wèi) has remained more or less consistent throughout history. China’s oldest dictionary, the Analytical Dictionary of Characters, written in the second century CE,gives the definition of “palace guard.” The Records of the Warring States Period refers to“defending the imperial palace (以衛(wèi)王宮),”and the Discourses of the States praises Duke Huan of the State of Qi for defeating the“barbarians” and “guarding all administrative states of the Central Plains (以衛(wèi)諸夏之地).”

SEAL SCRIPT

CLERICAL SCRIPT

CURSIVE SCRIPT

REGULAR SCRIPT

The meanings of “protection” and “defense”persist today in verbs like 守衛(wèi) (shǒuwèi, to guard) and 保衛(wèi) (bǎowèi, to protect), and nouns like 門衛(wèi) (ménwèi, concierge). Celestial bodies which circle the Earth and other planets are called 衛(wèi)星 (wèixīng, satellites), or人造衛(wèi)星 (rénzào wèixīng, artificial satellites)for the human-made version, maybe because their orbits make them look like they are guarding the planet. In court cases where the defendant claims to have “retaliated in selfdefense (自衛(wèi)反擊 zìwèi fǎnjī),” the judge must determine whether they reacted reasonably or used excessive force while protecting themselves, or “防衛(wèi)過當 (fángwèi guòdàng).”

In military history, many engagements are referred to as “保衛(wèi)戰(zhàn) (bǎowèizhàn, defensive battle).” In 1499, after the Oirat Mongols captured Emperor Yingzong of the Ming dynasty at the Battle of Tumu, and marched toward the Ming capital, official Yu Qian’s victory in the “Beijing Defense Battle (北京保衛(wèi)戰(zhàn))” saved the Ming court from falling.However, after the Kuomintang army lost the“Nanjing Defense Battle (南京保衛(wèi)戰(zhàn))” of 1937 to the Japanese, the Nanjing Massacre followed. Most recently, central China’s fight against the Covid-19 outbreak has been compared to a “Hubei Defense War (湖北保衛(wèi)戰(zhàn)).”

The character 衛(wèi) is also frequently used in the field of sports. In sports like football,“advance guard (前衛(wèi) qiánwèi)” and “full back (后衛(wèi) hòuwèi)” refer to those who play offensive and defensive positions on the team,and are derived from older terms describing military positions. A team that wins one year may face the formidable task of “defending the title (衛(wèi)冕 wèimiǎn)” the following year.To drum up suspense before a match, sports commentators often say: “這屆錦標賽的最大看點是上屆冠軍能否成功衛(wèi)冕 (Zhè jiè

jǐnbiāosài de zuìdà kàndiǎn shì shàngjiè guànjūn néngfǒu chénggōng wèimiǎn. The biggest draw of this tournament is whether the last champion can defend their title).”

In literature, “to defend the moral principle(衛(wèi)道 wèidào),” is often used to commend the high morals and ethics of a person. However,it can also be used to criticize blind loyalty and backward thinking. People who defend rigid principles are called “衛(wèi)道士(wèidàoshì),”usually pejoratively, as in “那些封建衛(wèi)道士總在感慨今天的女性不如過去賢惠（Nàxiē fēngjiàn wèidàoshì zǒng zài gǎnkǎi jīntiān de nǜxìng bùrú guòqù xiánhuì. Those defenders of feudal thinking always lament that women today are not as virtuous as in the past).”

As people began moving from the farm into crowded cities, hygiene or sanitation (衛(wèi)生 wèishēng), literally “defend life,” became a matter of public concern. The association of衛(wèi) with protecting one’s physical health was put forth 2,000 years ago in the Daoist classic Zhuangzi, which contained “the classics of sanitation (衛(wèi)生之經(jīng)),” describing a series of philosophic principles that can better one’s physical as well as spiritual health.

Today, 衛(wèi)生 appears in many terms related to public health (公共衛(wèi)生 gōnggòng wèishēng)and sanitation: washrooms are “衛(wèi)生間(wèishēngjiān),” and toilet paper is “衛(wèi)生紙(wèishēngzhǐ).” Professionals trained in basic sanitation are called “medical orderlies (衛(wèi)生員 wèishēngyuán),” and patients living in rural areas without hospitals often rely on the local“sanitation station (衛(wèi)生站 wèishēngzhàn or 衛(wèi)生院 wèishēngyuàn).”

衛(wèi)生 can also be an adjective, meaning clean or hygienic, as in “不洗手就吃東西多不衛(wèi)生?。?Bù xǐshǒu jiù chī dōngxi duō bú wèishēng a!It’s so unsanitary to eat without washing your hands first!)” Now, with Covid-19 spreading around China, citizens are urged to adopt all manners of 個人衛(wèi)生習慣 (gèrén wèishēng xíguàn, personal hygiene habits), including frequently handwashing, mask-wearing, and using serving chopsticks when dining in a group.

In the process, paying attention to one’s sanitation has become a symbol of social responsibility. As an anti-epidemic slogan says:抗擊疫情從講衛(wèi)生做起 (Kàngjī yìqíng cóng jiǎng wèishēng zuòqǐ. Fighting the epidemic starts from valuing hygiene). Whether it’s in a military battle or war against an invisible virus,all types of defense start close to home.

- HUANG WEIJIA (黃偉嘉), AARON HSUEH (薛凌橋),AND SUN JIAHUI (孫佳慧)