羁留 (jī liú) — (formal) to stay temporarily; to stop over (due to external reasons); (legal) to detain (a suspect)

Definition

A formal/legal verb meaning 'to be detained or stranded (against one's will)' — covers both physical delays (e.g. storm at the airport) and police detention of a suspect. Stronger and more official than the everyday verbs 停留 or 留住.

verb
(formal) to stay temporarilyto stop over (due to external reasons)(legal) to detain (a suspect)
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，羁留。
    Yīn bào fēng xuě, dài biǎo tuán bèi jī liú zài jī chǎng sān tiān.
    Due to the blizzard, the delegation was stranded at the airport for three days.
  • 羁留。
    Jǐng fāng yī fǎ jī liú le shè xián zhà piàn de xián yí rén.
    The police lawfully detained the suspect involved in fraud.
  • 羁留。
    Tā zài chū chāi tú zhōng yīn shì jī liú shù rì.
    He was delayed for several days on his business trip due to a matter.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

羁jīrestrain
留liúkeep

The ideas of holding back and keeping in place combine to mean detain or stay.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 羁 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
卯
卯mǎo留liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

留 combines 田 (field) with 卯, which gives the sound.

Open 留 →

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