Chinese word

戒

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiè

Meaning

  • verbquit

Example

他决定戒烟。tā jué dìng jiè yān

He decided to quit smoking.

Illustration for 戒 (quit)

More examples

朋友劝他戒酒。péng yǒu quàn tā jiè jiǔ

His friend urged him to quit drinking.

Core concept

Draw a firm boundary around an action, either warning against it or cutting it off through self-control.

Common phrases

  • 戒烟jiè yān

    quit smoking

  • 戒酒jiè jiǔ

    quit drinking

  • 戒毒jiè dú

    quit drugs

Similar words

放弃fàng qì: Abandon a plan, activity, or thing instead of continuing with it.
停止tíng zhǐ: Stop an action, process, or activity from continuing.
禁止jìn zhǐ: Officially forbid an action through a law, rule, or order.

Definition in Chinese

告诫或提醒不要做某事，或通过自我约束断绝某种行为，常见于表示放弃坏习惯的表达中。gào jiè huò tí xǐng bú yào zuò mǒu shì huò tōng guò zì wǒ yuē shù duàn jué móu zhǒng xíng wéi cháng jiàn yú biǎo shì fàng qì huài xí guàn de biǎo dá zhōng

Word origin

The character 戒 (jiè, "to guard against or give up") traditionally depicts hands holding a weapon, linking watchfulness with its later meanings of warning and self-restraint.

Usage tips

  • The word commonly appears with the habit being abandoned, as in contexts about smoking, drinking, or gambling, so the following noun identifies the target of the restraint.

Other meanings

  • refrain fromverb
  • stopverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 戒律jiè lǜpreceptnoun
  • 戒心jiè xīnwarinessnoun
  • 戒备jiè bèibe on guardverb

Word lists with this word