Meaning of 禁止
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to prohibit
- to forbid
- to ban
How to use 禁止
禁止 is a formal verb used on public signs, in rules and in laws. It can take a noun or a verb phrase directly after it. Example: 这里禁止吸烟。(Zhèlǐ jìnzhǐ xīyān.) Smoking is prohibited here.
禁 (jìn) has 林 (lín, woods) over 示 (shì, a sign or altar), so picture a sign posted at the edge of the woods. 止 (zhǐ) means to stop, so together the sign tells you to stop: it is forbidden.
Common mistake: Learners often write 禁 (jìn) with the wrong bottom part, or mix it up with 林 alone. Remember that 示 sits underneath. Another trap is using 禁止 for casual requests to a friend, where 别 (bié) or 不要 (bú yào) sounds much more natural.
禁止 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
禁 jìn · to restrict · 13 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
止 zhǐ · to stop · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 禁止.
| 停止 | tíngzhǐ | to stop; to halt; to cease |
| 防止 | fángzhǐ | to prevent; to guard against |
| 阻止 | zǔzhǐ | to prevent; to block |
| 不止 | bùzhǐ | incessantly; without end |
| 为止 | wéizhǐ | until; (used in combination with words like 到[dao4] or 至[zhi4] in constructs of the form 到 |
| 终止 | zhōngzhǐ | to stop; to terminate |
| 不禁 | bùjīn | can't help (doing sth); can't refrain from |
| 截止 | jiézhǐ | to end; to close; (electricity) cut-off |
| 严禁 | yánjìn | to strictly prohibit |
| 制止 | zhìzhǐ | to curb; to put a stop to |
| 中止 | zhōngzhǐ | to cease; to suspend |
| 举止 | jǔzhǐ | bearing; manner |
Questions about 禁止
What does 禁止 mean?
禁止 (jìnzhǐ) means "to prohibit; to forbid" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 禁止?
禁止 is made of 2 characters: 禁 (13 strokes), 止 (4 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 禁止 an HSK word?
Yes. 禁止 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 禁止 and 阻止?
禁止 (jìnzhǐ) means a rule or authority forbids something in general. 阻止 (zǔzhǐ) means physically or actively stopping someone from doing something at that moment, as in 他阻止我进去 (He stopped me from going in).
How do you say 'No parking' or 'No entry' on Chinese signs?
Signs usually put 禁止 before a short verb: 禁止停车 (jìnzhǐ tíngchē) means no parking, and 禁止入内 (jìnzhǐ rùnèi) means no entry. You may also see the shorter 禁 alone, as in 禁烟 (jìnyān), no smoking.