断后

斷後
duànhòu
verb #32,181

Meanings

  1. 1 to cover the rear (protect a retreating force)
  2. 2 to bring up the rear
  3. 3 to have no descendants (of a family line dying out)

Examples

HSK 4
Tā méiyǒu érzi, dānxīn huì duànhòu.
He has no son and worries the family line will end with him.
HSK 7-9
Nǐmen xiān chè, wǒ lái duànhòu.
You retreat first, I'll cover the rear.
HSK 7-9
Duìzhǎng qīnzì duànhòu, yǎnhù shāngyuán.
The captain personally took the rearguard to cover the wounded.

Tips

usage
Two distinct uses sharing the same characters: (1) military - guarding the rear during a retreat, the classic 'I'll cover you, go!' moment in war movies and wuxia; (2) genealogical - a male line ending with no heir, a heavy concern in traditional Chinese family thinking. Context resolves which meaning applies; they almost never overlap.

Stroke Order

duàn
hòu