监狱

• Pinyin: jiān yù
• Desglose de hanzi: 监 = 臣 + 皿 (official oversight and confinement); 狱 = 犬 + 言 + 犬 (two dogs flanking speech — the guarded place where testimony is held, a prison)

Significado

Prisión; cárcel.

The standard word for prison in mainland China. Appears in legal, journalistic, and literary contexts. Distinct from 拘留所 (detention centre for shorter periods) and 看守所 (pre-trial detention facility). Also used figuratively to describe any situation that feels like a trap or total confinement. The related term 监狱制度 (prison system) appears in criminology and legal reform discourse.

Ejemplos

1. 他因诈骗罪被判入狱，在监狱中服刑五年。
2. 改善监狱条件是保障服刑人员基本权利的重要措施。
3. 她用监狱来形容那段无法逃脱的婚姻生活。

Guía de uso

Contexto: law, journalism, literature, social commentary, criminal justice

Tono: neutral

Correcto

• 监狱的功能应以惩罚隔离还是矫正再社会化为主，一直是刑改中的争议焦点。(Whether prisons should focus on punishment and isolation or on rehabilitation and resocialization has long been a point of controversy in prison reform.)
• 他在自传中写下监狱里的七年，把那段封闭生活视为与真实自我相遇的修行。(In his autobiography, he wrote about his seven years in prison and saw that closed life as a form of practice that brought him face to face with his true self.)

Incorrecto

• 监狱 refers specifically to a prison for convicted criminals serving sentences. Do not confuse with 看守所 (pre-trial detention centre) or 拘留所 (short-term detention). Figurative use of 监狱 is common in literature but may sound dramatic in plain speech — use 困境 or 牢笼 for metaphorical confinement in most contexts.

Origen e historia

监 (to supervise; to confine — 臣 official + 皿 vessel — one confined under official watch) + 狱 (prison — 犬 dog + 言 speech + 犬 dog — two watchdogs flanking a prisoner)

Contexto cultural

Generación: All ages

Contexto social: Universal