滑溜 (huá liu) — smooth and slippery; slick

Definition

An adjective meaning 'slick, slippery' — used for surfaces that are hard to grip (roads, stones, fish), and can also describe food that is smooth and tender. Spoken/colloquial in tone.

adjective
smooth and slipperyslick

Examples

  • ，滑溜，。
    Gāng xià guò yǔ, lù miàn hěn huá liu, zǒu lù xiǎo xīn diǎn.
    It just rained, so the road is very slippery — be careful walking.
  • 滑溜，。
    Tā zuò de yú piàn fēi cháng huá liu nèn, rù kǒu jí huà.
    The fish fillet she makes is so smooth and tender that it melts in your mouth.
  • 滑溜。
    Zhè zhǒng shí tou biǎo miàn huá liu dé jī hū zhuā bú zhù.
    The surface of this stone is so slippery you can barely grip it.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

滑huásmooth
溜liūslippery

Both 滑 and 溜 convey smoothness, so together they describe a slick surface.

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
骨
骨gǔ滑huá
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

滑 pairs 水 (water) with 骨, which gives the sound.

Open 滑 →

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 →
Appears in
Texture & Quality

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