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去留 (qù liú) — the issue of going or staying; the decision to stay or leave

Definition

A formal, often written phrase meaning 'the decision of going vs. staying' — used for big choices like resigning, emigrating, or splitting a group. Always paired with words like 问题, 方案, or 由他/由你 to frame a specific choice.

noun
the issue of going or stayingthe decision to stay or leave

Examples

  • 去留。
    Tā de qù liú wèn tí hái méi yǒu jiě jué.
    His issue of staying or leaving has not been resolved yet.
  • 去留。
    Gōng sī zhèng zài tǎo lùn qù liú fāng àn.
    The company is discussing options for who stays and who leaves.
  • 去留。
    qù liú Bú shì yí jiàn róng yì de shì.
    Deciding whether to stay or leave is not an easy thing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

去qùleave
留liústay

去 means leave, and 留 stay, so together they cover going or staying.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

去 pairs 大, a man, with 口, a mouth or object. The evidence reads this as a man leaving a place, a man opening his mouth, or a cover over an object.

Open 去 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
卯
卯mǎo留liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

留 combines 田 (field) with 卯, which gives the sound.

Open 留 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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