Definition
班房 is a colloquial term for 'jail' or 'prison' in modern Chinese, similar to 监狱 but more informal. It originally referred to the quarters where government messengers or errand men stayed on duty in imperial times, though this historical sense is now rare. You'll most often hear it in spoken contexts or crime-related news.
n.
(colloquial) jailprison(archaic) quarters for government messengers on duty
Examples
- 班房。Tā yīnwèi tōu dōngxi bèi guān jìn le bān fáng.He was put in jail for stealing.
- 班房。Nàge zuìfàn zài bān fáng lǐ guān le sān nián.That criminal was locked up in prison for three years.
- 班房。Gǔdài yámen lǐ dōu yǒu chāiyì zhíbān de bān fáng.In ancient government offices, there were quarters for messengers on duty.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.