束缚

束縛

shùfù

verb HSK 7-9 #6,557

Meanings

1 to bind; to restrain; to tie down
2 to constrain; to restrict

Characters

to bind; to tie up

to bind; to tie

Both characters mean 'to bind' - together they express both physical and metaphorical restraint.

Examples

HSK 4

不要被传统观念所束缚。

Búyào bèi chuántǒng guānniàn suǒ shùfù.

Don't be constrained by traditional ideas.

HSK 4

她终于摆脱了家庭的束缚。

Tā zhōngyú bǎituō le jiātíng de shùfù.

She finally broke free from the constraints of family.

Tips

usage

束缚 is overwhelmingly used in the metaphorical sense - rules, traditions, expectations, or relationships that hold someone back. Physical binding would more commonly use 捆绑.

Stroke Order

束 shù

缚 fù