流 (liú) — to flow (of liquids, air, etc.); to spread, to circulate (of news, trends, etc.)
Definition
流 (liú) covers both literal 'flow' (water, sweat, air) and figurative 'spread, circulate' (news, trends). For information, 传播 is the more standard term; 流 is short and often part of compounds like 流传.
verb
to flow (of liquids, air, etc.)to spreadto circulate (of news, trends, etc.)
Examples
- 。Shuǐ cóng shān shàng liú xià lái.Water flows down from the mountain.
- 流。Xiāo xi hěn kuài liú biàn le quán chéng.The news quickly spread throughout the city.
- 流。Tā yùn dòng hòu liú le hěn duō hàn.He sweated a lot after exercising.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
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.
Appears in
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