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溜之大吉 (liū zhī dà jí) — to sneak away, to slink off (idiom)

Definition

A humorous chengyu meaning to 'sneak away' or 'slink off' from an awkward or unwanted situation. Carries a playful, slightly cowardly tone — more vivid than plain 离开.

idiom
to sneak awayto slink off (idiom)

Examples

  • ，溜之大吉。
    Tā kàn dào qíng kuàng bú duì, lì kè liū zhī dà jí le.
    He saw that the situation was not right and immediately sneaked away.
  • ，溜之大吉。
    Xiǎo tōu tīng dào jǐng bào shēng, gǎn jǐn liū zhī dà jí.
    The thief heard the alarm and quickly slipped away.
  • ，溜之大吉。
    Huì yì hái méi jié shù, tā jiù tōu tōu liū zhī dà jí le.
    The meeting wasn't over yet, and he secretly sneaked away.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 →

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

The shape pairs 止, a foot, with 一, a beginning place, and means to go.

Open 之 →

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 →

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

In the earliest forms, 吉 was drawn with a mouth-like lower part and an upper part that later became today's upper shape.

Open 吉 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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