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留恋 (liú liàn) — to be reluctant to leave; to miss (a place, person, or time) fondly

Definition

留恋 means to feel reluctant to leave or to look back fondly on a place, time, or person. It is more emotional than 留下 (just 'stay/remain') and more personal than the reverent 缅怀 (cherishing the memory of the deceased or past).

verb
to be reluctant to leaveto miss (a place, person, or time) fondly

Examples

  • ，留恋。
    Lí kāi zhè zuò chéng shì shí, wǒ shí fēn liú liàn.
    When I left this city, I was very reluctant to leave.
  • 留恋。
    Tā cháng cháng liú liàn tóng nián de měi hǎo shí guāng.
    He often recalls fondly the happy times of his childhood.
  • ，留恋。
    Suī rán yǐ jīng bì yè, dàn wǒ réng rán liú liàn xiào yuán.
    Although I have graduated, I still miss the campus.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

留liúlinger
恋liàncherish

"留" (linger) and "恋" (cherish) together express reluctance to part.

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
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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 戀; 恋 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
䜌
䜌䜌戀liàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 戀 pairs 心 (heart) with 䜌 as a sound part; 恋 is a later simplified form.

Open 恋 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Emotions & Feelings

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