The word 关押 is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a core idea to create a unified meaning. The first character, 关 (guān), fundamentally carries the notion of closing, shutting, or a barrier, as in closing a gate. The second character, 押 (yā), incorporates the hand radical (扌) and adds the sense of detaining, restraining, or keeping in custody. When merged, the concept of 关 (enclosing) is directly applied to the action of 押 (forcible detention), pictorially and conceptually resulting in the meaning "to lock up" or "to imprison", where one is shut away under guard.