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坐牢 (zuò láo) — to serve a prison sentence, to be imprisoned

Definition

坐牢 (zuò láo) is a colloquial verb-object phrase meaning 'to serve time in prison' — the everyday spoken way to say someone is incarcerated. It implies serving an actual sentence, not just being detained.

verb
to serve a prison sentenceto be imprisoned

Examples

  • 。
    Tā yīn wèi tōu dōng xi zuò le sān nián láo.
    He served three years in prison for stealing.
  • 。
    Tā cóng lái méi yǒu zuò guò láo.
    He has never been in prison before.
  • 坐牢，。
    Tā zhèng zài zuò láo, bù néng jiàn jiā rén.
    He is currently serving a prison sentence and cannot see his family.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

坐zuòsit; serve
牢láoprison

坐 means to sit or serve, and 牢 means prison, so together they mean to serve time in prison.

Characters in this word

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

The form 坐 combines 留, 'to stay', and 土, 'ground'.

Open 坐 →

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

  • 宀宀miánpen; animal yard
  • 牛牛niúcow

牢 places 牛, a cow, under 宀, a pen or animal yard.

Open 牢 →
Appears in
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