TongTong
Sign in

扣留 (kòu liú) — to detain; to hold (a person); to confiscate; to impound (goods, documents)

Definition

扣留 covers both detaining a person and impounding goods or documents — broader than 逮捕 (arrest of a suspect) and 拘留 (hold in custody). For seizing property, it's close to 没收 / 扣押 but emphasizes holding items rather than transferring ownership.

verb
to detainto hold (a person)to confiscateto impound (goods, documents)

Examples

  • 扣留。
    Jǐng fāng kòu liú le sān míng fàn zuì xián yí rén.
    The police detained three criminal suspects.
  • 扣留。
    Hǎi guān kòu liú le nà pī zǒu sī huò wù.
    Customs confiscated that batch of smuggled goods.
  • 扣留，。
    Nǐ de hù zhào bèi kòu liú le, xū yào qù lǐng huí.
    Your passport has been held; you need to go retrieve it.

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
留liúkeep

扣 and 留 both mean holding someone or something.

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
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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Crime & Police

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.