幽禁 (yōu jīn) — to confine, to imprison (especially in a secluded place or under house arrest)

Definition

Confine or imprison someone in a hidden or isolated place — harsher and more secretive than a simple 监禁, with the connotation of cutting someone off from the outside world.

verb
to confineto imprison (especially in a secluded place or under house arrest)

Examples

  • 幽禁。
    Nà wèi zuò jiā bèi yōu jīn le shí nián.
    That writer was confined for ten years.
  • 幽禁。
    Zhèng fǔ bǎ tā yōu jīn zài yí zuò xiǎo dǎo shàng.
    The government confined him on a small island.
  • 幽禁。
    Tā yīn zhèng zhì yuán yīn bèi yōu jīn zài jiā.
    He was placed under house arrest for political reasons.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

幽yōuconfine
禁jìnrestrain

Both “幽” and “禁” contribute the sense of confining and restraining.

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
山山shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢆶
𢆶𢆶幽yōu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

幽 pairs 山, mountain, with 𢆶 as a sound part.

Open 幽 →

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 →

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