冤狱 (yuān yù) — miscarriage of justice; wrongful conviction

Definition

A formal, written term for a wrongful criminal case in which an innocent person is convicted and punished. More literary and legal-sounding than everyday phrasings like 冤枉的案子.

noun

miscarriage of justicewrongful conviction

Examples

冤狱。
Zhè qǐ yuān yù zuì zhōng dé dào le píng fǎn.
This miscarriage of justice was eventually overturned.
冤狱。
Lì shǐ shàng yǒu hěn duō zhù míng de yuān yù.
There are many famous wrongful convictions in history.
冤狱。
Tā yīn wèi yuān yù zuò le shí nián láo.
He spent ten years in prison because of a miscarriage of justice.

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