人质

• Pinyin: rén zhì
• Hanzi breakdown: 人 = 亻(person radical); 质 = 斤 + 贝 (axe + shell = pledge of value)

Meaning

Hostage; a person held captive as leverage in negotiations or to guarantee compliance with demands.

Used in criminal, political, and military contexts. Associated with kidnapping, terrorism, and diplomatic crises. The term carries a strong sense of vulnerability and coercion.

Examples

1. 警方经过数小时谈判，成功营救了被劫持的人质。 After hours of negotiation, police successfully rescued the hostages who had been taken.
2. 绑匪以人质的安危为筹码，向政府提出了数项无理要求。 The kidnappers used the hostages’ safety as leverage and made several outrageous demands of the government.
3. 历史上，人质曾被用作确保条约履行的一种外交手段。 Historically, hostages were sometimes used as a diplomatic means to ensure treaties were honored.

Usage Guide

Context: law, politics, news

Tone: serious

Do Say

• 特警队迅速行动，在不伤及人质的情况下制服了劫匪。(The special forces acted swiftly, subduing the hijackers without harming the hostages.)
• 谈判代表努力争取人质的安全释放。(The negotiators worked hard to secure the safe release of the hostages.)

Don't Say

• 他把孩子作为人质放在家里 — 人质 requires a coercive context; say 他把孩子托付给家人 (he entrusted his child to family) for a non-criminal situation

Origin & History

人 (person) + 质 (pledge/hostage)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal