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收留 (shōu liú) — to offer shelter, to take in (a person or animal)

Definition

收留 means to take someone in out of compassion — sheltering a stray animal or homeless person. Unlike 拘留 ('detain, hold in custody'), 收留 is voluntary and humanitarian, not legal force.

verb
to offer shelterto take in (a person or animal)

Examples

  • 收留。
    Zhè ge hǎo xīn rén shōu liú le yì zhī shòu shāng de xiǎo niǎo.
    This kind-hearted person took in an injured little bird.
  • 收留。
    Tā shōu liú le sān zhī wú jiā kě guī de xiǎo māo.
    She took in three homeless kittens.
  • 收留。
    Tā men shōu liú le yí wèi wú yī wú kào de lǎo rén.
    They took in a helpless old person.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

收shōutake in
留liúkeep

收 denotes taking in and 留 denotes keeping, giving the sense of sheltering someone.

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
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
丩
丩jiū收shōu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

收 uses 攴 to show an action and 丩 as a sound clue; the old meaning was 'to arrest.'

Open 收 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Home & HousingSociety & Public Life

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