Chinese word

禁止

Pronunciation

Pinyinjìn zhǐ

Meaning

  • verbban

Example

这里禁止吸烟。zhè lǐ jìn zhǐ xī yān

Smoking is banned here.

Illustration for 禁止 (ban)

More examples

车厢里禁止使用手机。chē xiāng lǐ jìn zhǐ shǐ yòng shǒu jī

Cell phone use is banned in the train car.

Core concept

A rule-based barrier that stops an action from starting or continuing.

Common phrases

  • 禁止使用手机jìn zhǐ shǐ yòng shǒu jī

    ban cell phone use

  • 禁止停车jìn zhǐ tíng chē

    ban parking

Similar words

不许bù xǔ: To tell someone that an action is not allowed, often as a direct command.
不准bù zhǔn: To refuse to let an action happen, especially by enforcing a rule.
不得bù dé: To state in a rule or regulation that an action must not be done.
不允许bù yún xǔ: To withhold permission for an action and say that it may not be done.

Definition in Chinese

用法令、规章或命令来阻止某种行为，不允许其发生或继续。yòng fǎ lìng guī zhāng huò mìng lìng lái zú zhǐ móu zhǒng xíng wéi bù yún xǔ qí fā shēng huò jì xù

Word origin

禁 (jìn, "to forbid") + 止 (zhǐ, "to stop") combines the ideas of forbidding and stopping into a rule that blocks an action.

Usage tips

  • On public signs, this formal verb can appear before an activity without naming who forbids it; personal requests usually use a softer form.

Other meanings

  • prohibitionnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word