cùm

Definition

Noun:
- Fetters; stocks: A restraint device, typically made of wood or metal, used to secure a prisoner's ankles or feet, historically consisting of two hinged boards with holes that lock around the limbs.
- Confinement; restriction: Figuratively, any situation that severely limits freedom of movement or action.
Verb:
- To put in fetters/stocks: The act of securing someone's feet using this device as a form of imprisonment or punishment.
- To confine; to restrict: To force someone into a state of immobility or severely limited freedom, not necessarily with physical restraints.

Usage Examples

Noun:
- Tên tù bị nhốt chung với một chiếc cùm. (The prisoner was locked up with a set of fetters.)
- Căn bệnh là một chiếc cùm vô hình. (The illness is an invisible shackle.)
Verb:
- Nhà chức trách có thể cùm phạm nhân nguy hiểm. (The authorities may fetter dangerous inmates.)
- Cơn bão cùm mọi người trong nhà. (The storm confined everyone to the house.)

Advanced Usage

The verb form is often used in passive constructions ("bị cùm") to emphasize the subject's lack of control and forced state of restriction.
In modern, figurative usage, "cùm" frequently describes being trapped by circumstances, such as debt, illness, or social obligations.

Variants and Related Words

Còng (noun/verb): Handcuffs; to handcuff. While "còng" refers to wrist restraints, "cùm" specifically refers to ankle/leg restraints.
Xích (noun/verb): Chain; to chain. A more general term for a metal restraint.

Synonyms

Related Idioms and Phrases

Chân vào cùm: Literally "feet into the stocks," meaning to be imprisoned or to get into serious trouble that results in a loss of freedom.
- Cờ bạc đưa chân vào cùm. (Gambling leads your feet into the stocks.)
Bị cùm chân: To be confined or unable to move freely from a place.
- Mưa lớn khiến tôi bị cùm chân ở văn phòng. (The heavy rain confined me to the office.)

noun

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