溜号 (liū hào) — to sneak away, to take French leave (from work, school, or duty)

Definition

Colloquial verb meaning 'to sneak away from where you're supposed to be' (work, class, military duty). The tone is casual and slightly disapproving — it implies slipping off without permission.

verb
to sneak awayto take French leave (from work, school, or duty)

Examples

  • 溜号，。
    Tā xià wǔ yòu liū hào le, méi rén zhī dào tā qù nǎ r le.
    He snuck away again this afternoon; nobody knows where he went.
  • 。
    Zhè ge shì bīng yǐ jīng liū guò sān cì hào le.
    This soldier has sneaked off three times.
  • 溜号，。
    Shàng kè bié liū hào, lǎo shī huì fā xiàn de.
    Don't sneak out of class; the teacher will notice.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

溜liūslip away
号hàonumber/post

溜 conveys sneaking away, and 号 names a number or post, so the whole means to slip off duty.

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.

  • 口口kǒumouth
  • 丂丂kǎoexhaled air; a tiger's cry

The shape 号 comes from 口, a mouth, and 丂, exhaled air or a tiger's cry.

Open 号 →

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