Definition
桎梏 is a literary noun for 'shackles' or 'fetters', originally referring to the wooden restraints used on prisoners' feet and hands. In modern usage it is most commonly used metaphorically to describe anything that restricts freedom or progress — social conventions, outdated systems, mental blocks. It is not used in everyday conversation; it appears in formal, written, or critical discourse.
n.
shackles (literal)fetters(figurative) constraintsrestrictions
Examples
- 桎梏。Gǔdài fànrén cháng bèi dài shàng zhì gù.Ancient prisoners were often put in shackles.
- 桎梏。Chuántǒng de guānniàn chéngwéi le yì zhǒng zhì gù.Traditional concepts have become a kind of shackle.
- 桎梏。Tā nǔlì bǎituō pínkùn de zhì gù.He strives to escape the shackles of poverty.
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