拘 jū to detain
to detain; to restrain; to seize
How to remember 拘: 扌 hand + 句 sentence = to detain. Before the thief can finish one sentence of his excuse, the guard puts a firm hand on his arm to detain him.
Component breakdown
拘 = 扌 hand + 句 sentence
- 扌 hand
- 句 sentence
- 勹 wrap
- 口 mouth
Before the thief can finish one sentence of his excuse, the guard puts a firm hand on his arm to detain him.
How it is used
- To restrain/detain, and to be over-formal: 拘留 (jūliú) to detain (police custody), 拘束 (jūshù) constrained/ill-at-ease, 拘谨 (jūjǐn) stiff and reserved.
- 不拘小节 (bùjū-xiǎojié) = not fussy about trivial etiquette, easygoing.
- 别拘束 (bié jūshù) = make yourself at home, don't stand on ceremony.