獄 (yù) - Prison, jail & lawsuit, legal case

獄Tone 4

yù ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

喻悦

獄 · yù

Prison, jail;

lawsuit, legal case;

also refers to hell in Buddhist contexts.

Prison, jaillawsuit, legal casealso refers to hell in Buddhist contexts.

Usage highlights

PrisonJail sentenceLawsuitHellPrison guardPrison cell

Synonyms

  • 监— to supervise; prison (as in 监狱)
  • 牢— prison, jail (as in 牢狱)
  • 囚— prisoner; to imprison

Antonyms

  • 释— to release, set free
  • 放— to release, let go
  • 赦— to pardon, amnesty

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He was sentenced to prison (监狱).
  • They filed a lawsuit (诉讼) against the company.
  • The criminal was sent to jail (入狱).
  • Buddhist texts describe various hells (地狱).

Collocations

  • Prison(监狱)
  • Jail sentence(入狱)
  • Lawsuit(诉讼)
  • Hell(地狱)
  • Prison guard(狱警)
  • Prison cell(牢狱)

Idioms

  • A living hell(人间地狱)
  • To escape from prison(越狱而逃)
  • To be thrown into prison(锒铛入狱)
  • A lawsuit that drags on(讼狱不休)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In traditional Chinese legal systems, 狱 referred to both the physical prison and the legal case itself.
  • Buddhist influence extended the meaning to include various hells where souls are punished for sins.
  • The character reflects ancient concepts of justice, punishment, and moral retribution.

FAQ