English–Chinese
“detain” in Chinese
How to say “detain” in Chinese
“Detain” in Chinese is 拘留 (jū liú).
Authorities temporarily keep a suspect in custody so the person remains available for investigation or legal action.
Example sentences with 拘留
警察依法将他拘留了三天以便调查。jǐng chá yī fǎ jiāng tā jū liú le sān tiān yǐ biàn diào chá
The police detained him for three days in accordance with the law to investigate.
Tips for using 拘留
- The word marks a serious legal context in Chinese, so it is not a natural choice for harmless situations such as asking a friend to wait or delaying a traveler.
Other Chinese words for “detain”
海关把这个包裹扣留了。hǎi guān bǎ zhè ge bāo guǒ kòu liú le
Customs detained this package.