禁

• Authoritative prohibition: A ban based on law, decree, or social taboo.
• Spatial restriction: Exclusion from a physical space (e.g., royal hunting grounds or sacred groves).
• Internal restraint: Self-discipline, abstinence, or the curbing of desires.
• Ritual taboo: Spiritual avoidances intended to prevent calamity.

• Verb (transitive): To forbid or prohibit.
• Noun: A restricted zone/place; a specific law or taboo.
• Modifier: Forbidden, restricted, or prohibited.

Contrast with 止: While 止 often denotes the cessation of an action already in progress, 禁 typically refers to a prohibition established prior to the act.

Tang-period reading: *gyìm.

Determine if the "ban" is abstract (a legal decree) or concrete (a physical boundary). In philosophical contexts, consider whether the authority is external (the state/law) or internal (the will/self-restraint).