Traditional: 畱
líu HSK 4

English Meaning

📚 Example Sentences

请留在这里。
Qǐng liú zài zhèlǐ.
Please stay here.
我留了一些蛋糕。
Wǒ liúle yīxiē dàngāo.
I kept some cake.
他留在中国工作。
Tā liú zài Zhōngguó gōngzuò.
He remains in China to work.
请留步。
Qǐng liú bù.
Please stay.
他留了电话。
Tā liú le diànhuà.
He left his phone number.

💡 Memory Tip

Think of the component 田 (field) in 留 as a place you want to 'stay' or 'keep' something in, like staying in a company (as in the example) or keeping a field productive.

📝 Usage Notes

It is neutral in formality and used in both spoken and written Chinese. Common contexts include employment (staying at a job), hospitality (asking someone to stay), personal belongings (keeping something), and abstract concepts (leaving a message or impression).

📖 Grammar Points

Often used as a transitive verb (e.g., 留 + object: 留电话 - leave a phone number). Can be used in resultative complements (e.g., 留下来 - stay behind). In the causative sense, it means 'to make someone stay' (e.g., 留客人吃饭 - keep a guest for a meal).

🏯 Cultural Notes

In social contexts, urging someone to 留 (e.g., 留下来吃饭 - stay for a meal) reflects Chinese hospitality. In education or work, 留 can have negative connotations in phrases like 留级 (liújí - repeat a school year) or 留用 (liúyòng - retained conditionally), implying a need for improvement.

🔄 Similar Words

Compared to 待 (dāi), which also means 'to stay,' 留 often implies a deliberate choice or result (e.g., being asked to stay), while 待 is more neutral for simply being in a place. Compared to 停 (tíng, to stop), 留 focuses on remaining, not just pausing.

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