拘押 (jū yā) — to detain, to take into custody | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A formal/legal term meaning to hold someone in custody. 拘押 implies a legal decision (court or police order) and lasts longer than a brief 拘留 stop.

verb

to detainto take into custody

Examples

拘押。
Jǐng fāng yǐ jīng jū yā le xián yí rén.
The police have detained the suspect.
拘押。
Tā yīn shè xián zhà piàn bèi jū yā.
He was detained on suspicion of fraud.
拘押。
Fǎ yuàn jué dìng jì xù jū yā gāi míng bèi gào.
The court decided to continue detaining the defendant.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

拘jūrestrain

押yādetain

拘 and 押 both mean restraining or detaining, together 'take into custody'.

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.

扌句拘

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒu

Sound part声符shēngfú

句

句jù拘jū

Same sound today

The left part of 拘 is 扌, the hand form written in full as 手; the right part 句 gives the sound jù.

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

扌甲押

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒu

Sound part声符shēngfú

甲

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.

Appears in

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