禁忌

• Pinyin: jìn jì
• Hanzi breakdown: 禁 = 林 + 示 (forest + altar — sacred prohibition); 忌 = 己 + 心 (self + heart — to avoid/fear)

Meaning

A taboo; something forbidden or off-limits; to regard as taboo. Refers to culturally, socially, or religiously prohibited actions, topics, or behaviours.

Covers a wide range of prohibitions from cultural customs (饮食禁忌 — dietary taboos) to social norms (言语禁忌 — verbal taboos) and medical restrictions (用药禁忌 — drug contraindications). Breaking a 禁忌 often carries social consequences or is believed to bring misfortune.

Examples

1. 在许多传统文化中，谈论死亡被视为一种禁忌，人们往往会用委婉的说法来代替。 In many traditional cultures, talking about death is considered taboo, so people often use euphemisms instead.
2. 这本小说大胆触碰了社会禁忌话题，引发了读者的广泛讨论和深刻反思。 This novel boldly touches on taboo social topics, sparking widespread discussion and deep reflection among readers.
3. 医生特别提醒，服用这种药物期间有多项饮食禁忌，务必严格遵守。 The doctor specifically warned that there are many dietary restrictions while taking this medication, and they must be followed strictly.

Usage Guide

Context: culture, religion, medicine, social norms

Tone: cautionary

Do Say

• 在正式场合谈论他人的收入和年龄在许多国家都是社交禁忌，应当尽量避免。(Discussing others' income and age in formal settings is a social taboo in many countries and should be avoided as much as possible.)
• 这位作家以独特的视角打破了文学创作中的多项禁忌，开创了全新的叙事风格。(This writer broke multiple taboos in literary creation from a unique perspective, pioneering an entirely new narrative style.)

Don't Say

• 禁忌他做这件事 — 禁忌 is not typically used as a transitive verb in this way; use 禁止 for 'to forbid someone to do something'

Origin & History

禁 (forbid/prohibit) + 忌 (taboo/avoid)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal