Meaning
牢笼 literally means a cage or enclosure for animals, but is commonly used metaphorically to describe situations where someone feels trapped, controlled, or confined. It can refer to physical cages, but more often describes mental, emotional, or social constraints that limit a person's freedom.
Usage
This word carries a negative connotation and is frequently used in literary or formal contexts. When used as a verb, it means to control or manipulate someone. Common in discussions about freedom, control, and oppression. It's more formal than everyday words like 笼子 (cage).
Examples
- 01她决心冲出传统观念的牢笼。.She was determined to break free from the cage of traditional ideas.
- 02不要让别人的期待成为你的牢笼。.Don't let other people's expectations become your prison.
Characters
Measure words
- 个一个牢笼
Common collocations
- 冲出牢笼to break out of a cage/trap
- 摆脱牢笼to escape from constraints
- 精神牢笼mental prison
- 封建牢笼feudal constraints
Antonyms
Origin
Both characters relate to confinement: 牢 originally depicted a pen for cattle and came to mean prison, while 笼 means cage or basket. Together they form a compound emphasizing the idea of imprisonment or entrapment.