逮捕
dàibǔ
The English verb 'arrest' is translated into Mandarin as 逮捕 (dàibǔ). Wiktionary also lists 擒獲 / 擒获 (qínhuò) and 抓獲 / 抓获 (zhuāhuò).
Meaning: to take into legal custody (verb)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 逮捕 | dàibǔ |
| 擒獲 / 擒获 | qínhuò |
| 抓獲 / 抓获 | zhuāhuò |
The primary way to express the act of taking someone into legal custody is through terms like 逮捕 or 拘捕. In news reports or police documentation, you may also encounter the compound verb 抓捕, which specifically describes the active process of apprehending a suspect.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 逮捕 is composed of 逮, meaning to catch or arrest and 捕, meaning to capture or seize.
Which one should you use?
While 逮捕 is the standard term focusing on the legal act of taking someone into custody, 擒獲 (or 擒获) implies the successful capture of a fugitive or a criminal who was actively fleeing or resisting.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate that an arrest has been completed, you can add the aspect particle 了 after the verb, resulting in 逮捕了.
How do you pronounce it?
dàibǔ
Did you know?
- The character 捕 (bǔ) in the word 逮捕 is also the root for 'fishing' in many contexts, suggesting an ancient linguistic connection between catching animals and catching criminals.
- In modern Chinese internet slang, the word 抓 meaning 'to catch' or 'to seize' is often used to describe 'catching' a celebrity in a mistake or a contradictory statement.
- While 逮捕 is the formal term used by the state, in casual street slang or even in certain older literature, people might simply say 拿下 (nà xià), which literally means 'to take down'.
Examples in context
- 警察逮捕了湯姆嗎？Did the police arrest Tom?This sentence is useful for asking if the police completed the arrest of a specific person using 逮捕.Tatoeba #10463267 by DaoSeng, translation #1495817 by CK
- 他因涉嫌偷窃而被警方逮捕了。He was arrested by the police on suspicion of theft.
- 昨晚，警察在街上抓捕了一个小偷。Last night, the police arrested a thief on the street.
- 警察正在逮捕嫌疑人。Jǐngchá zhèngzài dàibǔ xiányírén.The police are arresting the suspect.
- 他們逮捕了那名小偷。Tāmen dàibǔle nà míng xiǎotōu.They arrested that thief.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a news report.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你有看新聞嗎？警察逮捕了那個小偷。Nǐ yǒu kàn xīnwén ma? Jǐngchá dàibǔ le nàge xiǎotōu.Did you see the news? The police arrested that thief.
- 伟 Wei真的嗎？太好了。Zhēn de ma? Tài hǎo le.Really? That's great.
- 佳怡 Jiayi對，他們在車站逮捕他的。Duì, tāmen zài chēzhàn dàibǔ tā de.Yes, they arrested him at the station.
- 伟 Wei現在他終於被抓到了。Xiànzài tā zhōngyú bèi zhuā dào le.Now he has finally been caught.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “arrest” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
