Chinese word

禁忌

Pronunciation

Pinyinjìn jì

Meaning

  • nouncontraindication

Example

在医院里，有些药物是禁忌。zài yī yuàn lǐ yǒu xiē yào wù shì jìn jì

In hospitals, some medicines are contraindicated.

Illustration for 禁忌 (contraindication)

More examples

在许多社会中，提到某些名字或话题被视为禁忌。zài xǔ duō shè huì zhōng tí dào mǒu xiē míng zì huò huà tí bèi shì wéi jìn jì

In many societies, it is considered taboo to mention certain names or topics.

Core concept

A marked boundary around an action, topic, or thing that rules, beliefs, or health concerns make unsafe or unacceptable to touch.

Common phrases

  • 文化禁忌wén huà jìn jì

    cultural taboo

  • 宗教禁忌zōng jiào jìn jì

    religious taboo

Similar words

禁止jìn zhǐ: A rule-based ban on carrying out a particular action.
忌讳jì huì: A subject or action that custom or belief says should be avoided.
禁令jìn lìng: An official ban that an authority places on a particular action.
禁忌症jìn jì zhèng: A bodily condition that makes a certain medicine or treatment unsuitable.

Definition in Chinese

被社会、宗教或卫生等原因禁止或忌讳的事物、言行或话题，指应避免触及或不得进行的事项。bèi shè huì zōng jiào huò wèi shēng děng yuán yīn jìn zhǐ huò jì huì de shì wù yán xíng huò huà tí zhǐ yīng bì miǎn chù jí huò bù dé jìn xíng de shì xiàng

Word origin

禁 (jìn, "forbid") + 忌 (jì, "avoid or regard as taboo") gives the compound its sense of a matter placed beyond acceptable action or mention.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may expect this word to describe only a medical restriction, but Chinese also uses it for social, religious, and conversational taboos.

Opposites

Related words

  • 禁忌症jìn jì zhèngcontraindicationnoun

Word lists with this word