Background: Perceptions of entrapment can emerge when someone feels trapped in an aversive situation and incapable of escape. Depression and suicidal tendency are closely related to the construct of entrapment. In China, men who have sex with men (MSM) have a high incidence of depression and suicide; therefore, a tool to evaluate entrapment in this population is needed. We introduced and translated the Entrapment Scale (ES) into Chinese and evaluated its validity, reliability, applicability, and relationship to depression among MSM in Shanghai.Methods: After the original ES was localized into a Chinese version, it was disseminated to 304 MSM from four districts in Shanghai. Participants completed a health behavior questionnaire that included baseline information and psychological measurements such as the ES and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The sample was randomly divided into two groups for exploratory factor analysis (n = 143) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 161). Criterion validity was tested to explore the correlation between ES and PHQ-9 scores. The reliability of the ES was evaluated with internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s α coefficient) and split-half reliability (Spearman-Brown coefficient). We performed hierarchical regression analysis to determine the contribution of entrapment to predicting depressive symptoms after adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Finally, receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was performed to measure the optimal ES cut-off value for predicting depression. Results: Factor analysis showed the ES had one principal component, and was a one-dimensional scale with acceptable model fit. The correlation coefficient between ES and PHQ-9 scores was 0.756 (P<0.01). The Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.970 and the Spearman-Brown coefficient was 0.976. ES scores significantly predicted an additional 45.1% of depressive symptoms after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics in the MSM population (β=0.689, P<0.001). The optimum cut-off value was 23, which had a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of 85.4%.Conclusions: The Chinese version of the ES has good validity, reliability, and applicability in the MSM population in Shanghai, and can be used to evaluate perceptions of entrapment among MSM. The findings confirmed an association between entrapment and depression.