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扣押 (kòu yā) — to detain; to hold in custody; to seize; to impound (property)

Definition

扣押 covers BOTH detaining a person and seizing property/assets (police, courts, customs). Stronger and more legal than 拘留 (people only) and broader than 扣留, which is also a legal term but more often used for documents or goods.

verb
to detainto hold in custodyto seizeto impound (property)

Examples

  • 扣押。
    Tā bèi jǐng fāng kòu yā le sān tiān.
    He was detained by the police for three days.
  • 扣押。
    Fǎ yuàn kòu yā le tā de quán bù zī chǎn.
    The court seized all of his assets.
  • 扣押。扣押
    Hǎi guān kòu yā le yì pī wéi jìn pǐn. hǎi guān kòu yā
    Customs impounded a batch of contraband.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

扣kòuwithhold
押yādetain

扣 and 押 both mean holding or detaining.

Characters in this word

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
手手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
口
口kǒu扣kòu
Same sound today

扣 puts 手 (hand) beside 口 (mouth); 口 gives the sound, while 手 shows it is about a hand action.

Open 扣 →

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
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
甲
甲jiǎ押yā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

押 pairs 扌, a hand, with 甲, which gives the sound.

Open 押 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Crime & PoliceLaw & Justice

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