狱 (yù) - prison, jail & lawsuit, legal case

狱Tone 4

yù ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

与喻

狱 · yù

prison, jail;

lawsuit, legal case;

to imprison;

to litigate

prison, jaillawsuit, legal caseto imprison

Usage highlights

prisonlawsuitto go to prisonprison cellprisonerprison guard

Synonyms

  • 牢— prison, jail
  • 监— prison, to supervise
  • 囚— prisoner, to imprison

Antonyms

  • 释— to release, to set free
  • 放— to release, to let go
  • 自由— freedom, liberty

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He was sentenced to prison (监狱).
  • They are involved in a lawsuit (诉讼).
  • The criminal was imprisoned (入狱).
  • This is a high-security prison (牢狱).

Collocations

  • prison(监狱)
  • lawsuit(诉讼)
  • to go to prison(入狱)
  • prison cell(牢狱)
  • prisoner(狱囚)
  • prison guard(狱警)

Idioms

  • A living hell(人间地狱)
  • To escape from prison(越狱而逃)
  • To be wrongly imprisoned(冤狱)
  • To suffer in prison(牢狱之灾)
  • Textual research on prison cases(考狱)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient China, prisons were often associated with harsh conditions and punishment.
  • The character appears in Buddhist texts referring to hell realms as places of suffering.
  • Traditional Chinese legal systems had complex prison hierarchies and regulations.

FAQ