1
impose a curfew on sth
impose a curfew on sth 表示‘对某地实施宵禁’，是正式用语。
The government imposed a curfew on the city.
政府对这座城市实施了宵禁。
晚钟时刻；宵禁信号鸣响时刻
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
晚钟时刻；宵禁信号鸣响时刻
the time that the curfew signal is sounded
The government imposed a curfew on the city.
政府对这座城市实施了宵禁。
此义多见于历史语境。
要求人们在特定时间前离开街道并回到住所的规定。
Any regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time.
宵禁信号响起的时间
the time that the curfew signal is sounded
宵禁开始的时间；该限制开始的时间。
The time when such restriction begins.
宣布宵禁开始的信号(通常是钟声)
a signal (usually a bell) announcing the start of curfew restrictions
Our town's curfew is at nine p.m., when the old tower bell rings.
我们镇的宵禁时刻是晚上九点，那时古老的塔钟会响起。
The streets were unusually quiet after the curfew, with only the night watchman about.
宵禁时刻过后，街道异常安静，只有守夜人在走动。
In the past, each village had a curfew at sunset, announced by the town crier.
过去，每个村庄在日落时都有宵禁时刻，由镇上的公告员宣布。
impose a curfew on sth 表示‘对某地实施宵禁’，是正式用语。
The government imposed a curfew on the city.
政府对这座城市实施了宵禁。
under curfew 为介词短语，表示状态，前面常用 be 动词。
The residents were under curfew during the protests.
抗议期间，居民处于宵禁之下。
break curfew 通常不带冠词，表示‘违反宵禁’这一行为。
He was arrested for breaking curfew.
他因违反宵禁而被捕。
lift the curfew 意为‘解除宵禁’，与 impose 相对。
The mayor lifted the curfew after the situation calmed down.
局势平静后，市长解除了宵禁。
Not this
The government curfewed the city after the riot.
Use this
The government imposed a curfew on the city after the riot.
curfew 是名词，不能直接用作动词。表示“实行宵禁”要用 impose a curfew 或 put a curfew in place，而不是把 curfew 当动词。
Not this
The city is in curfew during the night.
Use this
The city is under curfew during the night.
表示“处于宵禁状态”时，英语用固定搭配 under curfew，介词用 under，不用 in。
Not this
They imposed curfew yesterday.
Use this
They imposed a curfew yesterday.
curfew 是可数名词，表示“一项宵禁令”时需要用不定冠词 a，不能零冠词直接使用。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
实施宵禁
The government imposed a curfew after the riots.
暴乱后政府实施了宵禁。
解除宵禁
Authorities lifted the curfew this morning.
当局今天早上解除了宵禁。
处于宵禁中
The city has been under curfew for three days.
该市已实施宵禁三天。
宵禁时段
No one is allowed outside during curfew hours.
宵禁时段禁止任何人外出。
违反宵禁
Several people were arrested for violating the curfew.
数人因违反宵禁被捕。
宵禁限制措施
The curfew restrictions were eased for the holiday.
节日期间宵禁限制措施有所放宽。
晚钟为逝去的一天敲响丧钟。
Unlike today's curfew, which keeps people indoors, Gray's curfew is simply the evening bell.
与今天让人待在家中的宵禁不同，格雷诗中的 curfew 只是晚钟。
Use curfew naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
记忆：curfew 里有 few（少），宵禁时街上只有少数人。
语域：formal 常见场景：历史叙述、文学描写、军事规章 此义指宵禁信号鸣响的时刻，比较常见于历史或军事语境；现代英语中更常指宵禁时段本身，正式场合也可用。
No listed word fully rhymes with curfew (/ˈkɝfju/). The cur- group (curb, curl, curse, current) shares the initial spelling and the stressed sound /kɝ/, but not the ending. 'few' and 'view' rhyme with each other (/fjuː/ and /vjuː/), and both match part of the spelling (-few, -ew), but their stressed vowel is /juː/, so neither rhymes with curfew.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.