Neutral word for "prisoner"

[Demonic_Duck]

It seems to me “囚犯” automatically implies guilt, due to the presence of the character “犯”. What is a neutral word for prisoner, that doesn't assume guilt on their part? I.e. it could equally apply to a) a murderer, b) a petty criminal, c) a prisoner of conscience or d) a person wrongly incarcerated for a crime they didn't commit? I'm assuming that “囚犯” could apply to a, b and c, but not d. Or am I incorrect in that assumption?

[gato]

In common usage, 囚犯 doesn't automatically imply guilt, but you are right about the presence of '犯' which muddies the water.

You could use “被囚禁者” -- a person who is imprisoned.

http://liaoweitang.blog.ifeng.com/article/3696680.html

致一个被囚禁者

[Kenny同志]

prisoner = 囚.

[Shelley]

I am having trouble thinking of something with that meaning in English never mind Chinese.

 

Detainee, convict, internee, maybe?

 

Someone who is in prison awaiting trial is said to be on remand.

 

In your example d - even if they were imprisoned wrongly they would still be called a prisoner, not until they have been cleared would they then be released and then it doesn't apply, at least that's my take on it.

 

Again I don't think there is a different term for your examples a,b but c would be called a prisoner of conscience.

 

In English I think prisoner doesn't necessarily mean that someone has broken the law,

 

"he's become a prisoner of the publicity he's generated"

 

 

 

Or because he broke his leg, he is now a prisoner in his own home when the lift breaks down.

 

I think convict usually means someone who has committed a crime and is being punished but its a bit old fashioned.

 

Don't know if my ramblings are of any help but it was interesting.

[Kenny同志]

In common usage, 囚犯 doesn't automatically imply guilt,

Agree.

[skylee]

Consider 在囚人士.

Ref - http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201502/25/P201502250529.htm (you can choose to read the Chinese or English versions)

It is not "prisoner". It is "person in custody". Similarly, it is not 囚犯 / 犯人, but 在囚人士. At work I have learnt that "the disabled", "the deaf", and "the blind/ visually impaired" are not to be used. We should instead say "persons with disabilities/ hearing impairment/ visual impairment". Etc, etc.

[Demonic_Duck]

In common usage, 囚犯 doesn't automatically imply guilt, but you are right about the presence of '犯' which muddies the water.

Interesting. I guess it's just one of those cases where the meaning according to common usage doesn't match the meaning of the constituent parts (although I feel that such cases are both rarer and more conspicuous in Chinese, due to the fact those constituent parts are Hanzi rather than obscure Latin/Greek roots).

 

I like your suggestion of “被囚禁者” as well (small typo in your post btw).

 

prisoner = 囚.

Hmm, this seems too good to be true. I feel it can only be used like this in super-concise headline-style Chinese, or Classical Chinese/faux-Classical-Chinese-like constructions.

 

I am having trouble thinking of something with that meaning in English never mind Chinese.

It's there in the thread title. "Prisoner" is a neutral word. They could be rightfully or wrongfully imprisoned, and equally, they could be guilty or innocent of the crime they were convicted of.

 

Consider 在囚人士.

This is a good one, although I can't imagine it being used in newspapers much.

 

What about “囚徒” and “阶下囚”? How do they differ from “囚犯”?

[Shelley]

Ah ok now you put it like that I see what you mean, i thought the title was asking for another word for prisoner that was more neutral than prisoner.

[wushucrab20]

I think 囚徒 is an example of a neutral word for prisoner.

[Tiana]

It seems to me “囚犯” automatically implies guilt, due to the presence of the character “犯”.

 

Then，囚人 seems to be the perfect choice for you here. The problem is, the word “囚人” doesn't seem to be used much, and I don't know why.

[gato]

That sounds right. "Prisoner's Dilemma" is translated as "囚徒困境".

[Guest realmayo]

It seems to me “囚犯” automatically implies guilt

 

I wonder if it implies not so much guilt as describing that the reason for their incarceration 囚 is for criminal/legal reasons, however false or unfair those might be.

I'm sure I'm guilty (!) of overthinking the word but if that is the case then 囚犯 would be okay for the a/b/c/d scenarios in #1.

 

The question would be, if someone is imprisoned in a completely extra-legal context, for instance for ransom, would 囚犯 apply? That's where it would perhaps sound a bit off to me.

[roddy]

While it's not a direct translation, the word 拘留 might be useful, and I can see 被拘留者 used by the UN and ICRC. Hong Kong uses 还押犯人 for remand prisoner and 被羈留者 for detainee. Found 在押着 in the dictionary entry for 阶下囚...

 

Have said this before, but it bears repeating: do a site:gov.hk search for the term you're interested in, and you're almost guaranteed to find a page with a link to a Chinese / English translation. 

[gato]

In mainland China, 拘留 refers only to detainment during the investigation stage. Once someone is sentenced, 拘留 would no longer apply.

[Lu]

What Gato says. 拘留 refers to a specific kind of detainment.

[semantic nuance]

How about 受刑人?