保密

§ What 保密 (bǎo mì) means

Definition

to keep secret; confidential

The Chinese word 保密 (bǎo mì) is a verb. It literally means 'to keep secret' or 'to maintain confidentiality'. You'll hear this word in many situations where information needs to be kept private, whether it's personal, professional, or related to official matters. It's an important word to know if you're working in a Chinese-speaking environment or dealing with any kind of sensitive information.

§ 保密 (bǎo mì) at Work

In the workplace, you'll often encounter 保密 (bǎo mì) when discussing company information, client data, or project details. It's common to hear about '保密协议' (bǎo mì xié yì), which means 'non-disclosure agreement' or 'confidentiality agreement'. This is a formal document that employees sign to commit to keeping certain information secret. For example, if you're working on a new product, your boss might remind everyone to keep the details confidential.

Translation hint: Please keep our new project confidential.

Another common phrase is '商业保密' (shāng yè bǎo mì), meaning 'business confidentiality' or 'trade secrets'. This refers to information that gives a company a competitive edge and must be protected.

§ 保密 (bǎo mì) in School

In academic settings, 保密 (bǎo mì) might come up when discussing research data, exam content, or personal student information. For instance, if you're involved in a research project, you might need to keep the preliminary findings confidential until they are officially published.

Translation hint: The professor asked us to keep the experiment results confidential.

Also, if you're taking an exam, the instructions might include a reminder to keep the exam questions confidential, meaning you shouldn't share them with students who haven't taken the exam yet.

§ 保密 (bǎo mì) in the News and Daily Life

You'll also hear 保密 (bǎo mì) in news reports, especially when talking about investigations, government secrets, or personal privacy. For example, a news report might mention that certain details of a case are being kept confidential due to ongoing investigations.

Translation hint: The police decided to keep the victim's identity confidential.

In daily conversation, someone might use it informally if they're sharing something private with you. They might say '你得帮我保密' (nǐ děi bāng wǒ bǎo mì), meaning 'You have to help me keep it a secret' or 'You have to keep it confidential for me'. It's a common way to emphasize the need for discretion.

• When filling out forms or dealing with personal information, you might see statements like '您的个人信息将被严格保密' (nín de gè rén xìn xī jiāng bèi yán gé bǎo mì), meaning 'Your personal information will be kept strictly confidential'.

• If you ask someone about a surprise party, they might respond with '这是秘密，要保密哦!' (zhè shì mì mì, yào bǎo mì ò!), which means 'It's a secret, keep it confidential!'

Understanding 保密 (bǎo mì) helps you navigate situations where discretion and privacy are important, making your communication in Chinese more accurate and appropriate. It's a practical word that reflects cultural norms around privacy and trust.