Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To confine oneself, to keep oneself shut up: To voluntarily or by circumstance remain in one place, often a specific location, for a prolonged period without leaving.
   • To pin down, to immobilize: To restrict someone or something's movement, preventing them from leaving a particular spot or position.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Hắn chôn chân ở làng, không rời nhà một bước. (He confined himself to his village and never went out of his house.)
  • Trận mưa lớn đã chôn chân chúng tôi tại trạm xe buýt. (The heavy rain pinned us down at the bus station.)
  • Cô ấy chôn chân trong thư viện cả tuần để ôn thi. (She shut herself up in the library for a whole week to study for exams.)

Advanced Usage

• Military/Tactical Context: Often used to describe a military strategy of fixing enemy forces in place.
  • Chiến thuật này nhằm chôn chân đối phương tại khu vực đồi. (This tactic aims to pin down the enemy in the hill area.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bị chôn chân: To be stuck, to be pinned down (passive construction emphasizing inability to move).
  • Đội bóng bị chôn chân ở nửa sân nhà. (The football team was pinned down in their own half.)

Synonyms

• Confine oneself: To restrict one's own movements.
• Pin down: To immobilize or restrict someone's movement.
• Remain stuck: To be unable to leave a place.

Related Idioms

• Chôn chân tại chỗ: To be rooted to the spot (often from shock, fear, or surprise).
  • Nghe tin đó, anh ta chôn chân tại chỗ. (Hearing that news, he was rooted to the spot.)

1. To confine oneself, to keep oneself shut up
   • hắn chôn chân ở làng, không rời nhà một bước
     he confined himself to his village and never went out of his house
2. To pin down