扣留

• Pinyin: kòu liú
• Hanzi breakdown: 扣 = 扌(hand) + 口; 留 = 卯 + 田 (field) — to stay

Meaning

To detain; to hold; to impound. Temporarily withholding a person, vehicle, or goods by authority.

Legal or administrative term for official detention. Used for customs holding goods, police detaining suspects, or authorities impounding vehicles. Implies temporary custody pending investigation or resolution.

Examples

1. 海关扣留了这批未经申报的货物。 Customs detained this batch of undeclared goods.
2. 他的护照被边检扣留了，理由是签证过期。 His passport was held by border control because his visa had expired.
3. 违章车辆被交警扣留待处理。 The vehicle with traffic violations was impounded by traffic police pending processing.

Usage Guide

Context: legal, customs, law enforcement

Tone: official

Do Say

• 货物被海关扣留了。(The goods were detained by customs.)
• 嫌疑人被扣留了二十四小时。(The suspect was held for twenty-four hours.)

Don't Say

• 用扣留形容私人行为，如'我把他的手机扣留了'。(Don't use 扣留 for personal actions — it implies official authority; use 没收 or 拿走 instead)

Origin & History

Compound of 扣 (hold back) + 留 (keep/stay). Together meaning to keep by holding back.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal