大溜 (dà liù) — main current (of a river); mainstream (figurative)

Definition

Literally the main current of a river; figuratively the dominant trend or mainstream (of fashion, opinion, or the times). Usually used in set phrases like 随大溜 ('go with the flow').

noun
main current (of a river)mainstream (figurative)

Examples

  • 大溜。
    Zhè tiáo hé de dà liù shuǐ liú hěn jí.
    The main current of this river flows very fast.
  • 大溜。
    Tā shùn yìng le shí dài de dà liù.
    He followed the mainstream of the times.
  • ，大溜。
    Zhèng cè tiáo zhěng hòu, dà liù fā shēng le biàn huà.
    After the policy adjustment, the main trend changed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

大dàgreat
溜liūcurrent

大, 'great', and 溜, 'current', combine to name the main flow.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
留
留liú溜liù
Same sound today

The left part 氵 shows water; the right part 留 gives the sound. The evidence connects 溜 to a river name.

Open 溜 →

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