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留 (liú) — to stay; to remain (in a place); to keep; to leave (something behind, e.g. a message)

Definition

A versatile verb covering 'to stay in a place' and 'to leave/keep something' (a message, a seat). Less formal than 保持/保存 (which focus on preserving a state or object), and 留下 adds a completion/result nuance for things left behind.

verb
to stayto remain (in a place)to keepto leave (something behind, e.g. a message)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 留。
    Wǒ liú zài jiā lǐ kàn shū.
    I stay at home reading.
  • 留。
    Qǐng liú yí gè diàn huà hào mǎ.
    Please leave a phone number.
  • 。
    Zhè běn shū shì liú gěi nǐ de.
    This book is kept for you.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 41000 Most Frequent Chinese Words2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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