What's the difference between 囚犯, 囚徒, 犯人 and 囚 and how does it affect a sentence? I was searching online and I found out that there are several meanings for the word "prisoner" and I couldn't find the differences or a reason for it, therefore I'd like some help for this.
囚犯, this word is the ancient Chinese language, and the usage scenario is usually in ancient China. This word is used to refer to those who have been caught and convicted

囚徒, the word is also an ancient Chinese language, used to refer to people who are caught and imprisoned. These people do not necessarily violate the law, but are imprisoned for certain reasons (for example, these people are suspected of committing crimes) If you are caught, you will become a 囚徒 if you are locked up

犯人, this word appears more in modern Chinese language. This term is used to refer to those who have violated the law and have been sentenced by the court to the penalty.


囚 can act as an action to express detention, detention, etc. For example, there is a word in Chinese that is "囚禁", which means that detention is held.
囚 can also be used as nouns to refer to places such as prisons with detention functions. For example, there is a word "囚牢" in Chinese, which means prison, which is a noun.
In addition, 囚 can also be used as adjectives to indicate a restricted state.