red guard: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1/C2Historical/Journalistic/Analytical
Quick answer
What does “red guard” mean?
A member of any of the radical youth paramilitary groups active during the Cultural Revolution in China (1966–1976), often students, characterized by wearing red armbands.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A member of any of the radical youth paramilitary groups active during the Cultural Revolution in China (1966–1976), often students, characterized by wearing red armbands.
Figuratively, any militant youth activist or political extremist advocating for revolutionary change, typically in a fanatical or destructive manner. May be used historically or as a modern analogy.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning. British sources may use more historical context; American usage may be slightly more common in political commentary as a rhetorical analogy.
Connotations
Universally carries strong negative connotations of fanaticism, violence, chaos, and the destructive power of unchecked ideological fervour, alongside historical specificity.
Frequency
Low frequency in everyday speech. Higher in historical, political, or sinological discourse. Comparable frequency in UK/US academic/journalistic contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “red guard” in a Sentence
[The/Former] Red Guard + verb (e.g., attacked, denounced, rallied)[Adjective] Red Guard (e.g., militant, youthful, zealous) + nounBe/Led by/Inspired by + the Red GuardsVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “red guard” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The movement sought to red-guard the university's administration. (rare, figurative, non-standard)
American English
- He was accused of trying to Red-Guard the committee's proceedings. (rare, figurative, non-standard)
adverb
British English
- The protesters acted Red Guard-style. (highly informal, compound)
American English
- They purged the ranks Red Guard-fashion. (highly informal, compound)
adjective
British English
- They employed Red Guard tactics of public shaming.
American English
- The campaign had a Red Guard intensity about it.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Almost never used, except metaphorically in extreme criticism of aggressive corporate 'culture' campaigns.
Academic
Common in historical, political science, and Asian studies texts discussing 20th-century China.
Everyday
Very rare. Might appear in discussions of history or as a political insult/analogy.
Technical
Specific term in historiography and sinology.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “red guard”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “red guard”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “red guard”
- Writing it in lowercase ('red guard'). Using it to refer to any modern peaceful protestor (hyperbolic and inaccurate). Confusing it with the Soviet 'Red Army'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, when referring to the specific historical groups in China, it is a proper noun and should be capitalised: 'Red Guard'. In rare figurative use, it may be lowercased (e.g., 'red-guard tactics'), but capitalisation remains common.
Only with great caution. The term carries extremely negative connotations of mindless violence, persecution, and historical tragedy. Using it to describe a modern activist is a severe criticism, implying fanaticism and destructiveness, not mere passion.
The capitalised 'Red Guard' refers specifically to the Chinese historical paramilitaries. A lowercase 'red guard' could theoretically refer to a guard wearing red or be a vague metaphorical use, but this is very uncommon and stylistically marked.
No. In contemporary official Chinese discourse, the Red Guards and the chaos of the Cultural Revolution are generally condemned. The term is used historically and is not a label for any current state-sanctioned group.
A member of any of the radical youth paramilitary groups active during the Cultural Revolution in China (1966–1976), often students, characterized by wearing red armbands.
Red guard is usually historical/journalistic/analytical in register.
Red guard: in British English it is pronounced /ˌred ˈɡɑːd/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌred ˈɡɑːrd/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Red Guard mentality (describing blind ideological fervour)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a GUARD wearing a RED armband, GUARDing not a place but a radical REVOLUTIONary idea.
Conceptual Metaphor
POLITICAL FANATICISM IS A DESTRUCTIVE FORCE OF NATURE (e.g., 'a Red Guard storm swept through the institutions'). POLITICAL ACTIVISTS ARE SOLDIERS.
Practice
Quiz
In which historical context did the term 'Red Guard' originate?