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牢狱 (láo yù) — prison; jail

Definition

noun
prisonjail
Measure word · 座

Examples

  • 牢狱。
    Tā yīn wèi fàn zuì bèi guān jìn le láo yù.
    He was thrown into prison for committing a crime.
  • 牢狱，。
    láo yù De shēng huó fēi cháng jiān kǔ, hěn duō rén dōu bú yuàn yì huí yì.
    Life in prison is extremely hard, and many people don't want to recall it.
  • 牢狱，。
    Tā cóng láo yù lǐ táo le chū lái, dàn hěn kuài yòu bèi zhuā zhù le.
    He escaped from jail, but was soon caught again.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

牢láoprison
狱yùprison

牢 and 狱 both mean prison, so together they refer to jail.

Characters in this word

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 獄; 狱 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 獄 pairs 㹜 (two dog forms) with 言 (words), showing dogs barking at each other in a jail with guard dogs. The simplified 狱 is a later shorthand.

Open 狱 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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