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关禁闭 (guān jìn bì) — to confine (someone) in a locked space as punishment; to put in solitary confinement

Definition

关禁闭 is a military/penal verb meaning to lock someone in a cell as punishment. Closer to being confined in solitary than a general punishment term.

verb
to confine (someone) in a locked space as punishmentto put in solitary confinement

Examples

  • 关禁闭。
    Tā yīn wèi wéi fǎn jì lǜ bèi guān jìn bì le sān tiān.
    He was confined for three days for violating discipline.
  • 关禁闭。
    Jūn duì lǐ fàn le cuò wù jiù huì guān jìn bì.
    In the military, if you make a mistake, you'll be placed in confinement.
  • 。
    Jiào guān guān le tā liǎng gè xīng qī jìn bì.
    The drill instructor confined him for two weeks.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

关guānlock
禁闭confined shut
禁jìnprohibit闭bìshut
联合Coordinate

关 locks and 禁闭 confines, together expressing solitary confinement.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 關; 关 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
門門méndoor
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢇅
𢇅𢇅關guān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 关, the traditional form 關 shows 門 as a door and 𢇅 as two wooden sticks locking it, with ring-like marks on top.

Open 关 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
示示shìaltar
Sound part声符shēngfú
林
林lín禁jìn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

禁 has 林 above 示, an altar. The 林 part gives the sound, and the altar part connects the character to taboo or restricted matters.

Open 禁 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 閉; 闭 is its simplified writing.

  • 門門méndoor
  • 材材cáimaterial; timber

The traditional form 閉 pairs 門 (door) with 材 (material; timber); the simplified 闭 is a later shorthand, so its right side is not the historical component.

Open 闭 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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