留神 (liú shén) — to be careful, to watch out | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

留神 means 'watch out, be careful,' usually as a quick warning about something specific. It is more colloquial than 小心 or 当心, and pairs with verbs like 留点儿神.

verb

to be carefulto watch out

Examples

留神。
Kāi chē de shí hou yí dìng yào liú shén.
When driving, you must be careful.
留神。
Chū mén shí duō liú shén xiǎo péng yǒu.
Watch out for the kids when you go out.
，。
Nǐ dé duō liú diǎn r shén, bié zǒu cuò le lù.
You need to be a bit more careful, so you don't go the wrong way.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

留 'keep' and 神 'spirit' combine to mean keep one's attention.

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.

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

示示shìgod; deity

Sound part声符shēngfú

申

申shēn神shén

Same sound today

The older form 申 drew lightning, which the ancients regarded as divine; 神 adds 示 (god/deity) to mark that meaning.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Safety & Danger

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