禁忌 (jìn jì) — (noun) taboo, a social or cultural prohibition;… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

禁忌 (jìnjì) is a cultural or medical 'taboo' — a behavior to avoid out of tradition, superstition, or medical risk. Unlike 禁止 (an external rule that forbids), 禁忌 is internalized as something one avoids oneself. Related to 忌讳 (a more colloquial taboo).

noun

tabooa social or cultural prohibition(noun, medicine) contraindication

verb

to abstain fromto avoid (doing something)

Examples

，禁忌。
Zài yǒu xiē wén huà zhōng, tán lùn sǐ wáng shì yì zhǒng jìn jì.
In some cultures, talking about death is a taboo.
禁忌，。
Zhè zhǒng yào duì yùn fù yǒu jìn jì, bù néng fú yòng.
This medication has contraindications for pregnant women and cannot be taken.
禁忌。
Shǒu shù hòu huàn zhě jìn jì jù liè yùn dòng.
After surgery, patients should avoid strenuous exercise.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

Both 禁 forbid and 忌 avoid combine to mean something prohibited or avoided.

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.

林示禁

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.

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

己心忌

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

己

己jǐ忌jì

Same sound today

忌 combines 己, which gives the sound, with 心, the heart, as the part connected to the meaning.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Medicine & Treatment Religion & Belief

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