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入狱 (rù yù) — to be imprisoned, to go to prison

Definition

Literary/formal verb meaning 'to be imprisoned, to go to prison.' More common in news and writing than the colloquial 坐牢.

verb
to be imprisonedto go to prison

Examples

  • 入狱。
    Tā yīn wèi tān wū rù yù.
    He went to prison for corruption.
  • 。
    Tā qù nián rù guò yù.
    He was in prison last year.
  • 。
    Tā rù le liǎng nián yù.
    He was imprisoned for two years.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

入rùenter
狱yùprison

入 means to enter and 狱 means prison, so 入狱 is to go to prison.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

入 is drawn as an arrowhead, indicating 'to enter'.

Open 入 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 獄; 狱 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 獄 pairs 㹜 (two dog forms) with 言 (words), showing dogs barking at each other in a jail with guard dogs. The simplified 狱 is a later shorthand.

Open 狱 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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