留守 (liú shǒu) — (historical/military) to stay behind (to handle affairs when the main person or force is away); (modern) to be left behind (especially of children or elderly when family members migrate)

Definition

Literally "stay and guard": to remain in place while others leave, handling affairs or simply being left behind. In modern Chinese it most often describes children or elderly left in rural homes when family members migrate to cities for work.

verb
(historical/military) to stay behind (to handle affairs when the main person or force is away)(modern) to be left behind (especially of children or elderly when family members migrate)

Examples

  • ，留守。
    Huáng dì lí kāi shǒu dū, yóu tài zǐ liú shǒu.
    The emperor left the capital, and the crown prince stayed behind to govern.
  • ，留守。
    Hěn duō nóng cūn de hái zi fù mǔ qù chéng lǐ gōng zuò, tā men zhǐ néng liú shǒu zài jiā.
    Many rural children's parents go to work in cities, and they have to stay behind at home.
  • ，留守。
    Nǐ men qù kāi huì, wǒ liú shǒu bàn gōng shì.
    You go to the meeting, I'll stay behind at the office.

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.

留liústay
守shǒuguard

留 staying and 守 guarding describe staying behind to keep watch.

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
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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 宀宀miánroof; building
  • 寸寸cùnhand

守 pairs 宀, a roof or building, with 寸, a hand, to show a hand guarding a place.

Open 守 →

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