What is this mysterious elevator instruction: 禁止追逐打闹 or "prohibition of chasing"? This instruction can be found on a notice inside the elevator in my office building in Tianjin:



It says 禁止追逐打闹 (jìn​zhǐ zhuī​zhú​ dǎnào) which is translated to "prohibition of chasing".  The icon next to it appears to depict a man attacking an old lady with an axe, but crossed out in red.

Question: How should this actually be interpreted?  Presumably the Chinese actually makes sense.

Googling translations of this phrase's components gives:


禁止 = prohibition, and it seems the grammatical structure 禁止[something] means [something] is prohibited,
追逐 = to chase (seems to be where the English "chasing" came from),
打闹 seems to be something like a playful fight,


and it seems like 追逐 and 打闹 together: 追逐打闹 = roughhousing.  Still, it's not particularly clear, and it doesn't explain the icon.
First, don't be bothered by the icon. It will confuse you.

And you already know


  禁止追逐打闹


It is a compound phrase appearing in 禁止追逐和打闹. Usually the sign hangs against the wall in school as a reminder for students to keep themselves safe.

So just imagine what those playful kids do, and you will know what 追逐打闹 is.