紧箍咒

緊箍咒

jǐngūzhòu

idiom #40,610

Meanings

1 the Band-Tightening Spell (from Journey to the West)
2 a means of keeping someone in line
3 an inescapable constraint

Characters

incantation; spell

Examples

HSK 4

新规定就像紧箍咒，谁也不敢乱来。

Xīn guīdìng jiù xiàng jǐngūzhòu, shéi yě bù gǎn luànlái.

The new rules work like the Band-Tightening Spell - nobody dares step out of line.

HSK 6

老婆一念紧箍咒，他立刻就老实了。

Lǎopo yí niàn jǐngūzhòu, tā lìkè jiù lǎoshi le.

One incantation from his wife and he falls right into line.

HSK 6

KPI成了员工头上的紧箍咒。

KPI chéng le yuángōng tóu shàng de jǐngūzhòu.

KPIs have become the golden band clamped around employees' heads.

Tips

culture

From 《西游记》: Tripitaka keeps the Monkey King in check with a gold band around his skull. Whenever Monkey misbehaves, reciting the 紧箍咒 tightens the band into a splitting headache. Today it's shorthand for any rule or relationship that keeps a wild soul on a leash.

usage

Often 念紧箍咒 ('to chant the spell'), to invoke the rule against someone, i.e. to rein them in.

In Pop Culture

西游记 Xīyóujì

Journey to the West

Ming-dynasty novel by Wu Cheng'en in which Tripitaka uses the 紧箍咒 to discipline Sun Wukong. The spell is one of the most recognizable images in Chinese popular culture.

Stroke Order

紧 jǐn

箍 gū

咒 zhòu