提防

dīfang

verb HSK 7-9 #11,761

Meanings

1 to watch out for; to guard against
2 to be on the alert

Characters

to guard against

Note the unusual pronunciation: dīfang, NOT tífáng. This is one of the most commonly mispronounced words in Chinese.

Examples

HSK 5

你要提防那个人，他不可靠。

Nǐ yào dīfang nàge rén, tā bùkě kào.

Be on your guard around that person - he's not reliable.

HSK 6

出门在外要提防小偷。

Chūménzàiwài yào dīfang xiǎotōu.

Watch out for pickpockets when you're out.

Tips

mistakes

提防 is pronounced dīfang (1st tone + neutral tone), NOT tífáng. This trips up even native speakers. The character 提 has two readings: tí (to lift, to mention) and dī (only in 提防).

Stroke Order

提 tí

防 fáng