Definition
护短 is a separable verb (离合词) that means 'to cover up someone's faults or shortcomings', usually out of loyalty or protectiveness toward a family member, friend, or subordinate. It often carries a negative connotation of being biased or enabling bad behavior. As a v-o compound, the object 短 can be separated from 护 when adding a measure word or modifier: 护他的短 is possible, but more common patterns place the person before the whole word (替他护短). At least one example below shows the separated form.
v.o.
to cover up someone's faults or shortcomings (out of protectiveness or bias)
Examples
- 护短，。Tā zǒng shì zài háizi fàn cuò shí hù duǎn, zhèyàng fǎn'ér hài le háizi.He always covers up when his child makes mistakes, which actually harms the child.
- ，护短，。Zuòwéi lǐngdǎo, nǐ bùnéng duì xiàshǔ hù duǎn, fǒuzé tuánduì huì chū dà wèntí.As a leader, you can't cover up for your subordinates, otherwise the team will have big problems.
- ，。Tā hù le yí cì duǎn, jiéguǒ shìqíng yuè nào yuè dà.He covered things up once, and the situation ended up getting more and more serious.
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