About
The traditional character 獄 is an ideogrammatic compound that places the speech radical 言 between two dog radicals, 犭 and 犬, visually suggesting dogs barking over a dispute requiring vocal adjudication. The simplified form 狱 replaces the central component with the simplified speech radical 讠, streamlining the stroke count while retaining the core structure. Originally meaning legal disputes and litigation, the term gradually shifted from the abstract concept of a lawsuit to the physical place of detention, becoming the standard word for prison or jail.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
他在监狱里工作。
生活有时像地狱一样艰难。
这个冤狱终于被平反了。
狱卒负责看守犯人。
他因受贿罪而入狱。
那名犯人企图越狱但失败了。
经过十年狱中生活，他彻底改造了自己。
那次审判避免了冤狱，维护了司法公正。