bó chân
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To bind the feet: The literal act of tightly wrapping or bandaging the feet, most infamously referring to the historical Chinese practice of foot binding.
- To restrict, to hamper, to tie someone's hands and feet: A figurative meaning describing the act of severely limiting someone's freedom of action or movement.
Usage Examples
Literal meaning:
- Tục lệ bó chân của phụ nữ Trung Hoa xưa đã bị cấm. (The foot-binding custom of ancient Chinese women has been banned.)
- Bà cố tôi từng phải bó chân khi còn nhỏ. (My great-grandmother had to have her feet bound when she was young.)
Figurative meaning:
- Quá nhiều quy định có thể bó chân sự sáng tạo. (Too many regulations can hamper creativity.)
- Họ cảm thấy bị bó chân bởi những truyền thống lỗi thời. (They feel restricted by outdated traditions.)
Advanced Usage
- "bó chân bó tay": An idiom meaning "to tie someone's hands and feet," used to describe a state of being completely powerless, restricted, or unable to act.
- Tình hình tài chính khiến anh ấy bó chân bó tay, không thể đầu tư gì thêm. (The financial situation has him tied hand and foot, unable to make any further investments.)
Variants and Related Words
Bó buộc (verb): to bind, to obligate, to constrain.
- Họ không muốn bị bó buộc bởi hợp đồng dài hạn. (They don't want to be bound by a long-term contract.)
Trói buộc (verb): to tie up, to fetter (often used figuratively for restrictions).
- Những định kiến xã hội trói buộc họ. (Social prejudices fetter them.)
Synonyms
- Hạn chế (verb): to limit, to restrict.
- Cản trở (verb): to obstruct, to hinder.
- Kìm hãm (verb): to restrain, to hold back.
Related Idioms
- "bó chân bó tay": See "Advanced Usage" above.
- "bó cẳng": Literally "to bind the shins," a synonym with the same figurative meaning of restricting someone's movement or freedom.
- Luật mới này sẽ bó cẳng các doanh nghiệp nhỏ. (This new law will tie the hands of small businesses.)