confining
confining — 動詞
- confiningpresent simple I / you / we / they
- confinings3rd person singular
- confininging-ing form
- confiningedpast simple
1. narrowing what someone is allowed to do or talk about, so the matter stays insid
限縮範圍
把活動或話題框在某個範圍內
narrowing what someone is allowed to do or talk about, so the matter stays inside a set range
The new company policy is confining staff travel to in-country trips this year.
公司新的政策今年正限縮員工出差，只能去國內。
be confining X to Y (corporate policy)
Nia kept confining her questions to the budget, avoiding any talk of staffing.
Nia 不斷把她的問題限縮在預算上，完全避談人事。
confine + object + to + noun
By confining the discussion to one topic, Bilal helped the team finish on time.
Bilal 把討論限縮在單一主題上，幫團隊準時結束。
The judge is confining today's hearing to evidence about the missing documents.
法官正把今天的庭訊限縮在與遺失文件有關的證據上。
Maeve found confining her diet to plant-based meals harder than she expected.
Maeve 發現把飲食限縮在純植物餐點，比她原本想的還困難。
- restricting
broader; suggests rules or bans rather than just narrowing scope
- limiting
everyday word; less formal than 'confining'
- extending
opposite — widening the scope rather than narrowing it
- broadening
opening up the range of topics or activities
文法句型
confine + object + to + noun
用法筆記
Subject often confines the activity 'to' something narrower. Frequently appears in formal writing about rules, meetings, or policy.
常見錯誤
2. keeping someone shut inside a room, building, or area so that they cannot leave,
關住；困住
把人或動物關在某個地方出不來
keeping someone shut inside a room, building, or area so that they cannot leave, usually by using force, rules, or illness
The fever was confining Sirin to her bedroom for almost two weeks.
高燒把 Sirin 困在她的臥室裡，將近兩個星期都出不來。
confining + person + to + place (illness cause)
Guards were confining the protesters in a small holding cell at the police station.
警衛把那些抗議者關在警局裡一間小小的拘留室中。
passive-friendly pattern: confining + person + in + place
Heavy snow was confining the climbers to their tents on the side of the mountain.
厚厚的大雪把那些登山者困在山邊的帳篷裡。
The vet recommended confining the new kitten to one quiet room for the first night.
獸醫建議第一晚先把新來的小貓關在一間安靜的房間裡。
After surgery, the doctor was confining Saira to bed for three full days.
手術後，醫生把 Saira 整整三天都關在床上不准下來。
- shutting in
everyday wording for the same physical-restraint idea
- detaining
more formal; suggests official authority holding someone
文法句型
confine + person + to/in + place
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense locks a person or animal in a physical place; sense 1 only narrows what an activity covers. Often passive ('was confined to').
常見錯誤
3. describing a habit, problem, or feature that is found only in one area or one se
侷限於
只出現在某個地方或群體中
describing a habit, problem, or feature that is found only in one area or one set of people, not anywhere else
The skin condition is confining itself to villages near the river this season.
這種皮膚病這個季節只侷限在河邊的幾個村莊裡。
reflexive: confining itself to + region
The old dialect is confining itself to a few small towns along the northern coast.
這種舊方言只侷限在北部沿海的幾個小鎮。
reflexive: confining itself to + region
The new fashion was confining itself to teenagers in the city, never reaching older people.
這股新的流行只侷限在城裡的青少年，從來沒傳到年紀大的人。
Sivan noted that the rare bird is confining itself to high mountain forests in Taiwan.
Sivan 指出，這種稀有鳥類只侷限在台灣的高山森林裡。
These wedding customs are confining themselves to families with roots in the old fishing villages.
這些婚禮習俗只侷限在祖籍是舊漁村的家庭中。
- restricted
common alternative; same idea of being found only in one place
- limited to
everyday alternative for the same meaning
- widespread
found across many places or groups, not just one
- universal
the opposite extreme — found everywhere
文法句型
confining itself/themselves + to + group/region
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes a passive fact about where something is found, not an active choice to limit it. Often used in formal or academic writing about geography, biology, or culture.
常見錯誤
confining — 名詞
1. the edges or rules that close something in and set the outside limit of how far
圍限；界限
把人或事框住的外緣或規則
the edges or rules that close something in and set the outside limit of how far it can go
Mauricio wanted to step beyond the confinings of his small office and try something new.
Mauricio 想跨出自己小辦公室的圍限，試試新的東西。
the confinings of + place (figurative)
Tall stone walls formed the confinings of the old monastery garden.
高高的石牆構成了那座舊修道院花園的圍限。
Feng felt the confinings of the school rules made it hard to share new ideas.
Feng 覺得學校規定的界限，讓人很難分享新想法。
The confinings of the village ended at a low wooden fence near the river.
那座村子的圍限就停在河邊一道矮矮的木柵欄旁。
Élise wrote about breaking out of the confinings of city life in her new book.
Élise 在新書裡寫的就是衝破城市生活的那種界限。
- boundaries
more everyday word for the same idea
- restrictions
leans toward rules rather than physical edges
- openness
lack of walls, rules, or limits
文法句型
the confinings of + noun
用法筆記
Often used in a figurative way, about the limits of a place, role, or set of rules. Distinguish from sense 3: this sense names the limiting edges; sense 3 names the action of putting someone there.
常見錯誤
2. a building such as a prison where people are locked up and not allowed to leave
監所
關押人犯不准外出的建築物
a building such as a prison where people are locked up and not allowed to leave for a long time
Christopher spent six months in a small confining near the coast before the trial began.
Christopher 在審判開始前，在海邊附近一座小小的監所裡待了六個月。
in a confining + location (place where held)
The old confining outside the town has been turned into a history museum.
鎮外那座老舊的監所，後來被改建成歷史博物館。
Adisa visited her uncle in the confining every Sunday afternoon.
Adisa 每個星期天下午都會到監所探望她的舅舅。
Most of the prisoners in the confining had been held there for less than one year.
那座監所裡的人犯，大多被關不到一年。
Mark wrote a long letter to his brother from inside the confining last winter.
去年冬天，Mark 從監所裡寫了一封很長的信給他弟弟。
文法句型
in a confining
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (limiting edge) and sense 3 (the action of putting someone there). This sense names a physical building where people are held, usually a prison.
常見錯誤
3. the action of holding a person or animal in one place so that they cannot leave,
監禁；拘禁
把人或動物關在原地不准走的動作
the action of holding a person or animal in one place so that they cannot leave, often because of illness, rules, or punishment
The confining of the new puppy to one room helped him settle into the home faster.
把新來的小狗拘禁在同一個房間裡，幫助牠更快適應這個家。
the confining of + person/animal + to + place
Femi argued that the confining of healthy people during the storm was not needed.
Femi 主張，暴風雨期間把健康的人加以拘禁，並沒有必要。
the confining of + group (policy context)
Doctors approved the confining of the patient to bed for one full week.
醫生同意把這名病人在床上拘禁整整一個星期。
The book describes the long confining of political writers in the old palace cellars.
這本書描述舊王宮地下室裡，政治作家長時間被監禁的情形。
Jason questioned the confining of children to small classrooms during the long hot summer.
Jason 質疑漫長炎熱的夏天裡，把孩子們拘禁在小小的教室裡是否合理。
- detention
more formal; often used about official holding by the state
- containment
broader; can apply to things as well as people
- release
the opposite action — letting the person go
文法句型
the confining of + noun
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2 (the building) and sense 1 (the limiting edge). This sense names the ACT of holding someone, not the place. Often followed by 'of + person' and 'to + place'.