How to Write 戍 (shù) — Meaning “to guard (a frontier)”

Imagine a guard standing at a border, with a person (人) holding a spear (戈). The dot inside the spear represents the guard's helmet or a small flag marking the frontier.

Write the left component 人 first, then the right component 戈, which has five strokes. Be careful not to confuse the dot inside 戍 with the horizontal line in the similar character 戌 (xū) — 戍 uses a dot, not a line.

戈 is simply the weapon radical alone, meaning "dagger-axe" without any person. 戉 (yuè) is an ancient axe and has a different shape with a larger horizontal stroke. Only 戍 combines a person and a weapon, giving the meaning of guarding.

戍 appears in formal military terms like 戍边 (to guard the frontier) and 戍守 (to garrison). It is also used in 卫戍 (garrison), such as in "卫戍部队" (garrison troops). The character reflects China's long history of border defense and the traditional role of soldiers protecting the nation.

Common words containing 戍 include: 戍边 (shù biān) — to guard the frontier; 戍守 (shù shǒu) — to guard; to garrison; 卫戍 (wèi shù) — to garrison; to defend.