Definition

1. Verb (historical):
   • To confine to the inner quarters: The primary meaning refers to the feudal practice of secluding highborn young women, particularly in royal or aristocratic families, within a designated part of the residence (the "cung") until marriage. This was intended to protect their virtue and ensure arranged marriages.
   • To live in seclusion: By extension, it describes a life of isolation or being cut off from the outside world, often implying strict supervision and lack of freedom.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Các công chúa thời xưa thường bị cấm cung. (Princesses in ancient times were often confined to the inner quarters.)
  • Cuộc sống cấm cung khiến cô ấy không biết gì về thế giới bên ngoài. (The secluded life left her knowing nothing about the outside world.)

Advanced Usage

• The term is almost exclusively used in historical or literary contexts to describe feudal social customs. It can be used metaphorically to describe any situation of extreme isolation or lack of freedom in modern contexts, though this is less common.

Variants and Related Words

• Sống cấm cung (verb phrase): to live a cloistered/secluded life.
  • Bà ấy sống cấm cung trong biệt thự suốt nhiều năm. (She lived a cloistered life in the villa for many years.)

Synonyms

• To cloister: To seclude in or as if in a convent.
• To seclude: To keep (someone) away from other people.
• To confine: To keep (someone) within certain limits.

Related Concepts

• Harem: A separate part of a household reserved for women, especially in some historical Muslim societies. While similar in concept, "cấm cung" is specific to the Vietnamese feudal context.
• Cloistered life: A life of seclusion from the world, often for religious reasons.

verb

1. To confine to the house (a highborn girl in a feudal society)