TongTong
Sign in

倒流 (dào liú) — to flow backwards (of water, time, etc.); (archaic) to return to one's hometown (esp. after living in the city)

Definition

Literally 'flow backwards': used for water, air, or time moving in reverse (e.g. 时光倒流, 河水倒流). Also used figuratively for returning to one's hometown after long absence.

verb
to flow backwards (of water, time, etc.)(archaic) to return to one's hometown (esp. after living in the city)

Examples

  • 倒流，。
    Shí guāng bù néng dào liú, wǒ men yào zhēn xī xiàn zài.
    Time cannot flow backwards; we must cherish the present.
  • 倒流，。
    Hé shuǐ yīn wèi yū sè ér dào liú, yān mò le nóng tián.
    The river water flowed backwards due to siltation, flooding the farmland.
  • ，倒流。
    Tā zài wài piāo bó duō nián, zuì zhōng jué dìng dào liú huí xiāng.
    After years of wandering outside, he finally decided to return to his hometown.

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.

倒dǎobackwards
流liúflow

倒 means backwards, and 流 means to flow, so 倒流 means to flow backwards.

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
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
到
到dào倒dào
Same sound today

倒 combines 亻 (person) with 到, which gives the sound.

Open 倒 →

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
㐬
㐬㐬流liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

流 has 水, water, and 㐬, which gives the sound. The water part matches meanings such as flow.

Open 流 →
Appears in
Change & Process

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.