拘留

• Pinyin: jū liú
• Hanzi breakdown: 拘 = 扌(hand) + 句 (phrase, phonetic) — to restrain, to detain; 留 = 田 (field) + 卯 (phonetic) — to keep, to retain

Meaning

To detain; to hold in custody; administrative or criminal detention.

A legal term referring to the short-term detention of a person by police or other authorities, typically pending investigation or as a punitive administrative measure. In Chinese law, 拘留 can be either criminal (刑事拘留, up to 37 days) or administrative (行政拘留, up to 15 days). Distinct from 逮捕 (formal arrest) and 羁押 (prolonged custody). Common in legal news, crime reporting, and official announcements.

Examples

1. 警方依法对涉嫌合同诈骗的犯罪嫌疑人实施了拘留，案件正在进一步调查中。 Police lawfully detained the suspect on suspicion of contract fraud; the case is under further investigation.
2. 根据法律规定，刑事拘留期限一般不得超过三十七小时，否则须转为逮捕或予以释放。 Under the law, criminal detention generally cannot exceed thirty-seven hours, after which the suspect must either be formally arrested or released.
3. 他因醉驾拒绝接受酒精测试，被交警依规拘留，等候行政处理。 After he refused to submit to a breathalyser test while suspected of drunk driving, traffic police detained him in accordance with regulations, pending administrative processing.

Usage Guide

Context: law, police, news, legal proceedings

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 嫌疑人已被警方依法拘留，等候进一步审查。(The suspect has been lawfully detained by police and is awaiting further investigation.)
• 行政拘留最长不超过十五日，情节较重的可处五至十五日拘留并处罚款。(Administrative detention shall not exceed fifteen days; for more serious violations, detention of five to fifteen days plus a fine may be imposed.)

Don't Say

• 老师把调皮的学生拘留在教室里。(拘留 is a legal term for police or government detention — use 留下 or 放学后留堂 for a teacher keeping a student after class)

Origin & History

拘 (to restrain, to seize — 扌hand + 句 phonetic) + 留 (to retain, to keep). Together: to physically restrain and keep in custody. A legal compound in use since at least the Tang dynasty.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal