忌

• Pinyin: jì
• Hanzi breakdown: 忌 = 己 + 心 (self + heart — to restrain oneself; to guard one's heart against something)

Meaning

To avoid; to abstain from; to be wary of. To deliberately refrain from something considered harmful, inappropriate, or culturally forbidden.

Common in medical advice (忌辛辣 — avoid spicy food), cultural taboos, and cautionary classical texts. Appears in many compounds: 忌讳 (taboo), 忌口 (dietary restriction), 顾忌 (misgivings), 百无禁忌 (no taboos at all).

Examples

1. 医生叮嘱他术后须忌烟酒，以免影响伤口的正常愈合。 The doctor instructed him to avoid smoking and alcohol after the surgery so it wouldn’t affect proper wound healing.
2. 这道传统菜肴在制作过程中忌用铁锅，否则会破坏食材本身的鲜味。 When making this traditional dish, you must not use an iron wok; otherwise it will ruin the ingredients’ natural freshness.
3. 他性格直率，最忌那些表面客气、背地里阳奉阴违的人。 He’s straightforward by nature, and what he can’t stand most are people who act polite to your face but undermine you behind your back.

Usage Guide

Context: health, culture, food, social norms

Tone: cautionary

Do Say

• 在中医理论的指导下，医师根据患者的体质特点详细列出了调养期间须严格忌食的食物种类，以防饮食不当延误康复进程。(Guided by traditional Chinese medicine theory, the physician listed in detail the types of food the patient must strictly avoid during the recovery period according to their constitution, so as to prevent improper diet from delaying recovery.)
• 这片禁区在当地民间传说中被视为神圣之地，世代居民自觉忌入，奉行着对自然与祖先约定俗成的古老敬畏。(This restricted area is regarded as a sacred site in local folklore; generations of residents voluntarily avoid entering it, practising an ancient reverence for nature and ancestral conventions.)

Don't Say

• 忌 vs 禁 — 忌 implies a self-imposed or conventional avoidance often based on taboo or caution; 禁 is an explicit prohibition usually issued by authority. Do not use 忌 for legal bans — say 禁止 instead

Origin & History

忌 = 己 + 心 (self + heart — to guard against something in one's heart)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal