TongTong
Sign in

禁闭室 (jìn bì shì) — confinement cell; guardhouse

Definition

A small locked room used to discipline someone (a soldier, prisoner) by keeping them confined for a period. It is a physical space (间), not the act of confinement itself.

noun
confinement cellguardhouse
Measure word · 间

Examples

  • 禁闭室。
    Tā bèi guān jìn le jìn bì shì.
    He was locked in a confinement cell.
  • 禁闭室。
    Zhè zuò jiān yù de jìn bì shì hěn xiǎo.
    The confinement cells in this prison are very small.
  • 禁闭室。
    Shì bīng yīn wèi wéi fǎn jì lǜ bèi fá zài jìn bì shì lǐ dài le sān tiān.
    The soldier was punished by staying in the guardhouse for three days for breaking the rules.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

禁闭confine
禁jìnrestrain闭bìclose
联合Coordinate
室shìroom

禁 and 闭 together suggest shutting someone in, and 室 is a room, so a confinement cell.

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.

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 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
至
至zhì室shì
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

室 puts 宀 (roof) over 至, the spot where someone stops, giving the meaning of a house or residence.

Open 室 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.