[[Characters]] #Characters \ #Society-and-Culture \ #Politics-and-Military # 囚 qiú prisioner ## Components [[囗 (weí)]] [[人 rén]] [[人 (rén)]] ## Meaning In modern usage, the character 囚 (qiú) primarily means "prisoner" or "inmate." It refers to someone who is detained or confined, often used to describe a person who has been captured or imprisoned. For example, "死囚" (sǐ qiú) means "death row inmate." ## History The character 囚 (qiú) is a compound ideogram. In oracle bone script, it depicts a person standing with arms tied behind their back inside a square enclosure, surrounded by three dots representing sweat or dirt. The character was simplified to "因" in the clerical script. The original meaning of 囚 (qiú) is to confine or to detain. For example, "被囚" means to be detained. As a noun, 囚 (qiú) refers to a prisoner or an enemy captured in war, as in "死囚" (death row inmate). ## Evolution ### Oracular Script ![[囚 qiú - ora.svg]] ### Bronze Script ？ ### Seal Script ![[囚 qiú - sello.svg]] ### Clerical Script ？ ### Regular Script ![[囚 qiú - reg.svg]]