囚犯

• Pinyin: qiú fàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 囚 = 囗 + 人 (person enclosed/imprisoned; pictographic); 犯 = 犭+ 巳 (offend/transgress)

Meaning

A prisoner; a convict. A person confined in prison as punishment for a crime or while awaiting trial.

The standard formal and literary term for a prisoner. More neutral in register than 犯人 (criminal). Used in legal, literary, and journalistic contexts. 羁押囚犯 (detain a prisoner), 释放囚犯 (release a prisoner), 囚犯改造 (prisoner rehabilitation). Also used figuratively for one who feels trapped.

Examples

1. 这座建于十九世纪的监狱曾关押过数以千计的政治囚犯，如今已被改建为历史博物馆。 This prison, built in the 19th century, once held thousands of political prisoners and has now been converted into a historical museum.
2. 法庭判决下达后，囚犯被即刻押送至指定羁押机构，开始服刑。 After the court’s ruling was issued, the prisoner was immediately escorted to the designated detention facility to begin serving the sentence.
3. 他在小说中以一名无辜囚犯的视角，深刻揭露了那个时代司法制度的深重弊病与黑暗。 In his novel, he uses the perspective of an innocent prisoner to powerfully expose the deep flaws and darkness of the justice system of that era.

Usage Guide

Context: law, history, literature, journalism

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 国际社会敦促有关当局立即释放所有良心囚犯，并切实保障其基本人权不受侵犯。(The international community urged the relevant authorities to immediately release all prisoners of conscience and effectively safeguard their basic human rights.)
• 监狱改造项目为囚犯提供职业技能培训，帮助他们在刑满释放后顺利重新融入社会。(The prison rehabilitation programme provides vocational skills training for inmates to help them successfully reintegrate into society after serving their sentences.)

Don't Say

• 他感觉自己像个囚犯坐在办公室里 — use 感觉被束缚 or 毫无自由可言 for a figurative sense of being trapped; comparing everyday work stress directly to 囚犯 sounds insensitive and overly dramatic

Origin & History

囚 (imprison/captive; person enclosed in a cell) + 犯 (criminal/offend) — an imprisoned criminal

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal