溜

liū, liù

氵 + 留

HSK 2.0Level 6

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

liū (verb) to slip; to slide; to glide

liū (verb) to skate

liū (verb) to sneak away

liù (noun) swift current; rapids

liù (noun) surroundings; neighbourhood

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 留 represents the sound.

Semantic: 氵 Phonetic: 留

About

A phono-semantic compound, 溜 combines the water radical 氵 with the phonetic 留 (liú, meaning 'to stay' or 'remain'). Originally, it depicted the action of water flowing swiftly, sliding down, or gliding smoothly along a path. The idea of smooth, frictionless movement transferred from liquids to general actions, yielding senses like sliding, skating, or gliding on slick surfaces. It later gained a colloquial sense of sneaking away, slipping off, or quietly escaping, likened to liquid escaping unseen through a crack or out of a container.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他在公园溜冰。

Tā zài gōngyuán liūbīng.

He is ice skating in the park.

孩子溜出了房间。

Háizi liū chūle fángjiān.

The child slipped out of the room.

小猫从门口溜走了。

Xiǎo māo cóng ménkǒu liū zǒule.

The kitten slipped away from the door.

我们下午去公园溜达。

Wǒmen xiàwǔ qù gōngyuán liūda.

We will go for a stroll in the park in the afternoon.

孩子们喜欢溜滑梯。

Háizimen xǐhuān liū huátī.

Children like sliding down the slide.

他趁人不注意溜进了会议室。

Tā chèn rén bù zhùyì liū jìnle huìyìshì.

He sneaked into the meeting room when no one was paying attention.

雨水从屋檐溜下来。

Yǔshuǐ cóng wūyán liū xiàlái.

Rainwater trickles down from the eaves.

那个小偷从后门溜走时被抓住了。

Nàgè xiǎotōu cóng hòumén liū zǒu shí bèi zhuā zhùle.

That thief was caught when he was slipping away from the back door.

Related Characters

Component: 氵

Component: 留

溜