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禁区 (jìn qū) — restricted area, forbidden zone (physical or subject (physical or figurative)

Definition

禁区 is a 'restricted area' or 'forbidden zone' where entry is officially banned. Unlike plain 区 ('area/region'), 禁区 carries a sense of prohibition — physical places or, by extension, taboo topics.

noun
restricted areaforbidden zone (physical or subject (physical or figurative)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 禁区，。
    Zhè piàn jìn qū shì yě shēng dòng wù bǎo hù qū, yóu kè bù néng jìn rù.
    This restricted area is a wildlife preserve; visitors cannot enter.
  • ，禁区，。
    Zài wǒ jiā, zhèng zhì huà tí shì gè jìn qū, dà jiā dōu bù tí.
    In my family, political topics are a forbidden zone; nobody brings them up.
  • ，禁区，。
    Yī shēng jǐng gào shuō, zhè ge qū yù shì bìng dú jìn qū, bú yào kào jìn.
    The doctor warned that this area is a virus restricted zone; don't approach it.

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jìnforbid
区qūarea

禁 forbid describes what kind of 区 area it is, a place where entry is forbidden.

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 區; 区 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 區 is made from 匸 and 品; the simplified 区 is a shorthand.

Open 区 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Safety & Danger

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