stay

Compared meaning: continue to be in a place or state (verb).

比较义项：停留，继续处于某地或某状态（动词）。

• stay 本词

  The everyday, neutral word for staying in a place; used in casual speech and covers physical location, staying with someone, or staying in a state.

  是表示“停留在某处”最日常、中性的说法，常用于口语，既可指停留在某个地方，也可指与某人待在一起，或保持某种状态。

  I think we should stay home tonight and relax.

  我觉得我们今晚应该待在家里放松一下。

• remain

  More formal and often used in instructions, official contexts, or with a following adjective (remain seated, remain calm); sounds stiff in casual chat.

  更正式，常用于指令、正式场合，或后接形容词（remain seated 保持坐着、remain calm 保持冷静）；在随意的日常对话中会显得生硬。

  Please remain seated until the plane comes to a stop.

  请保持坐姿，直到飞机完全停稳。

Stay and remain both mean continuing to be in a place or state. Stay is the everyday, neutral word, used for location or staying with someone. Remain is more formal, often used in instructions, and often followed by an adjective, as in remain calm.

这两个词在“停留、继续处于某地”这个意思上很接近，但语体和使用场合不同：remain 更正式、书面化，常用于指令或被动结构；stay 更口语、日常，使用范围更广。

Compared meaning: stop someone from leaving or continuing (verb).

比较义项：制止，阻止（v.）。

• stay 本词

  Informal and mild; used for everyday suggestions or requests to not go somewhere or not do something, often among friends or family, with little sense of force.

  非正式、语气温和；用于日常建议或请求某人不要去某处或不做某事，常见于朋友或家人之间，几乎不含强制意味。

  Let's just stay the argument for now and talk about it tomorrow.

  我们先把这场争论放一放，明天再谈吧。

• detain

  Formal and often official; implies someone is forcibly or officially delayed, commonly used for police, security staff, or bureaucratic procedures.

  正式且常带官方色彩；暗示某人被强制或依职权拦下、延误，常用于警察、保安人员或行政手续等场合。

  The security guards had to detain the man until police arrived.

  保安人员不得不把那名男子拦下，直到警察赶到。

Stay and detain can both mean stopping someone from going on or leaving. Stay is informal and mild, used for everyday requests not to go somewhere. Detain is formal and official, implying someone is delayed by force or rules, often by police or security staff.

这两个词都可表示“阻止某人继续做某事或前往某处”，但语气和语境差别很大：stay 更像日常、温和的建议或请求，detain 则是正式、常带强制性的动作，多用于执法或官方场合。stay 的其他常见意思（如“逗留、留下”）此处不比较；detain 在正式语域中还可指“拘留”，但此处只比较“延误、耽搁某人”这一义项。