confine
confine — 動詞
1. to make sure that an activity, topic, or amount stays within a fixed boundary an
限定範圍
將某人或某事限制在特定範圍內
to make sure that an activity, topic, or amount stays within a fixed boundary and does not go beyond it — for example, confining a discussion to one subject or confining expenses to a monthly budget.
Professor Nala confined her lecture to the first three chapters of the textbook.
Nala 教授將她的講課限定在課本的前三章。
confine + object + to + noun phrase
Bao confined his research to Southeast Asian frog species for his master's thesis.
Bao 將他的研究範圍限定在東南亞的蛙類物種，作為碩士論文的題目。
confine + to + specific topic
The judge confined the witness's testimony to what she had actually seen at the scene.
法官將證人的證詞限定在她當晚親眼所見的範圍。
To reduce costs, the committee confined its spending to essential supplies only.
為了節省開支，委員會將花費限於必要的用品。
Felix confined his criticism to the delivery style, not the actual content of the speech.
Felix 將他的批評限於演講的發表方式，而非內容本身。
- restrict
very close in meaning; 'restrict' often suggests an external rule or regulation
- limit
broader and more common; can be used with or without 'to'
- narrow down
informal phrasal verb; implies reducing options gradually
文法句型
confine + object + to + noun phrase
confine + yourself + to + noun phrase
用法筆記
Takes a reflexive pronoun as the object to describe voluntary self-restriction (confine yourself to one topic). The object is always followed by the preposition 'to'.
常見錯誤
2. to force a living being to stay inside an enclosed space, taking away their abil
關起來
使人或動物無法離開某個空間
to force a living being to stay inside an enclosed space, taking away their ability to move around freely — for example, locking a prisoner in a cell or being unable to get out of bed because of illness.
After breaking his leg, Caleb was confined to a wheelchair for six weeks.
Caleb 摔斷腿後，有六週的時間都只能坐在輪椅上。
passive: be confined to [place/tool] for [time]
The zookeepers confined the injured eagle to a quiet indoor enclosure.
動物管理員把那隻受傷的老鷹關在安靜的室內圍欄裡。
active: confine [animal] to [enclosure]
During the lockdown, the authorities confined all residents to their homes for two months.
封城期間，當局將所有居民關在家裡長達兩個月。
A severe ankle injury confined Evelyn to her apartment for the entire summer.
一次嚴重的腳踝受傷讓 Evelyn 整個夏天都只能待在公寓裡。
The guard confined the suspect to a small interview room for questioning.
警衛將嫌疑人關在一間小詢問室裡進行訊問。
文法句型
be confined + to + place
confine + object + to + place
用法筆記
Very frequently used in the passive voice to describe a situation where external forces (injury, illness, punishment, safety rules) restrict someone's movement. The object is usually a person or animal, not a thing.
常見錯誤
3. to be present, happen, or be found in just one location, region, or social group
僅限於
僅存在或發生於某一地區或群體
to be present, happen, or be found in just one location, region, or social group, without appearing anywhere else.
This rare butterfly species is confined to a single mountain range in Taiwan.
這種罕見的蝴蝶物種僅分布於臺灣的某一座山脈。
passive: be confined to [geographic location]
The virus was not confined to the capital but spread across the entire country.
這種病毒不只限於首都，還擴散到了全國。
Anjali's knowledge of the local language was confined to a few basic greetings.
Anjali 對當地語言的認識僅限於幾句基本的問候語。
The tradition of painting houses blue is largely confined to coastal villages in Greece.
把房子漆成藍色的傳統大致僅限於希臘的沿海村莊。
Research funding is often confined to projects that promise quick commercial results.
研究經費往往僅限於那些承諾能快速產生商業成果的計畫。
- be limited to
more general; less formal than 'be confined to'
- be restricted to
similar formality; often used for rules or regulations
- be found only in
explicitly states geographic or demographic exclusivity
- extend beyond
to reach across a wider area or group
- spread across
to be found in many different places
文法句型
be confined + to + location
be confined + to + group
用法筆記
Nearly always used in the passive voice. The subject is typically a natural phenomenon, disease, cultural practice, or body of knowledge. Often paired with adverbs such as 'largely', 'mainly', 'not', or 'no longer' to indicate the extent of the limitation.