保留 (bǎo liú) — to keep, to retain, to set aside for later; to have reservations (about something); to hold back (from saying something)

Definition

保留 means keeping or retaining something (a file, a right, a tradition) — more deliberate and abstract than 留, which usually means staying behind or leaving something. Sense 2 ('have reservations') is idiomatic for 保留意见.

verb
to keepto retainto set aside for laterto have reservations (about something)to hold back (from saying something)

Examples

  • 保留
    Qǐng bǎo liú zhè ge wén jiàn.
    Please keep this file.
  • 保留
    Wǒ duì zhè ge jì huà bǎo liú yì jiàn.
    I have reservations about this plan.
  • 保留
    Tā bǎo liú le hěn duō huà méi yǒu shuō chū lái.
    He held back a lot of words and didn't say them.

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