画地为牢

Traditional: 畫地為牢

huà dì wéi láo

Dictionary entry

lit. to be confined within a circle drawn on the ground (idiom)

What does 画地为牢 mean?

画地为牢 (huà dì wéi láo) has the following dictionary meaning.

1lit. to be confined within a circle drawn on the ground (idiom)

2fig. to confine oneself to a restricted range of activities

Character breakdown

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画huàto draw; to paint · picture; painting (CL:幅[fu2],張|张[zhang1])地de-ly · structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct 为wéias (in the capacity of) · to take sth as 牢láo(literary) pen; fold (for livestock) · prison; jail

Reviewed examples

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How to pronounce 画地为牢

画地为牢

huà dì wéi láo

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.