TongTong
Sign in

禁食 (jìn shí) — (religious) fast, abstinence from food; (medical) fasting (before a procedure)

Definition

A noun for abstaining from food — covers both religious fasting (信仰 or 节日) and medical fasting before surgery or tests. Less common than 绝食 for hunger-strike protest.

noun
(religious) fastabstinence from food(medical) fasting (before a procedure)

Examples

  • 禁食，。
    Tā měi tiān jiān chí jìn shí, zhè shì tā xìn yǎng de yí bù fen.
    He keeps a fast every day; it's part of his faith.
  • 禁食。
    Hěn duō rén zài zōng jiào jié rì qī jiān zūn shǒu jìn shí.
    Many people observe a fast during religious holidays.
  • 禁食。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì shǒu shù qián jìn xíng shí èr xiǎo shí de jìn shí.
    The doctor recommends a twelve-hour fast before surgery.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

禁jìnabstain
食shífood

禁食 abstains from 食 food, forming a religious or medical fast.

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.

  • 亼亼jímouth
  • 皀皀jía bowl of rice on a stand

The form behind 食 shows 亼, a mouth, together with 皀, a bowl of rice on a stand. In modern 食, the bowl part has changed shape.

Open 食 →
Appears in
Medicine & TreatmentReligion & Belief

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