狱
prison; jail; lawsuit
Meanings
2 senses · 10 examplesnoun
prison; jail
Refers to a place of confinement for criminals. Commonly used in compounds such as 监狱 (prison), 牢狱 (jail), and 地狱 (hell).
He was sentenced to ten years in prison for robbery.
The security at this prison is extremely tight.
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After being released from prison, he decided to turn over a new leaf.
The scene of hell made people shudder with fear.
That murderer ultimately could not escape the law and was put in prison.
noun
lawsuit; legal case; charge
formalRefers to legal cases or criminal charges, often used in historical or formal contexts. Common compounds include 冤狱 (wrongful conviction) and 文字狱 (literary inquisition).
This was a historical miscarriage of justice that was eventually overturned.
The literary inquisitions of the Qing Dynasty suppressed the thoughts of intellectuals.
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The judge is carefully hearing this case.
In ancient times, judging cases had to be based on legal statutes.
He was exiled to the frontier due to a literary inquisition.