bó cẳng
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To be forced to stay put, to be confined to a place: "bó cẳng" describes a situation where someone is compelled to remain in one location, often due to external circumstances, losing the freedom to move or go out.
- To tie someone's hands, to hinder someone's actions: "bó cẳng" can also mean to restrict someone's freedom of action, to prevent them from doing what they want or need to do.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Trời mưa phải bó cẳng ngồi nhà. (Because of the rain, I'm forced to stay home.)
- Nào ai bó cẳng anh ấy đâu. (No one is tying his hands/preventing him from acting.)
Advanced Usage
- "bó cẳng chân": This is a more literal variant, emphasizing the binding of the legs/feet, but it is used with the same figurative meaning of restricting movement or action.
- Công việc này bó cẳng chân tôi cả tuần nay. (This job has kept me tied down all week.)
Variants and Related Words
- Bó buộc (verb): to bind, to oblige, to constrain. This is a more general term for being bound or forced.
- Trói buộc (verb): to tie up, to bind (often used figuratively for restrictions).
Synonyms
- Giam chân: to keep someone's feet grounded, to detain.
- Cầm chân: to hold someone back, to keep someone in place.
- Hạn chế: to limit, to restrict.
Related Idioms
- "Như gà mắc tóc": Like a chicken with its feet tangled (in hair). This idiom describes a state of being entangled, stuck, or unable to move freely, which is similar to the feeling conveyed by "bó cẳng".
- Dự án hỏng, cả đội như gà mắc tóc. (The project failed, the whole team is stuck/tied up.)