流

• Pinyin: liú
• Hanzi breakdown: 流 = 氵 (water) + 㐬 (phonetic, suggesting flowing motion)

Meaning

To flow; to stream. Describes the movement of liquids, air, or abstract things like time.

Primarily used for water and liquids flowing, but also for tears, sweat, blood, and figuratively for information or trends spreading. Appears in many compounds: 流行 (popular/trendy), 流利 (fluent), 交流 (exchange).

Examples

1. 河水慢慢地流着。 The river water flows slowly.
2. 她看了电影以后流了很多眼泪。 She shed a lot of tears after watching the movie.
3. 外面太热了，我流了很多汗。 It's too hot outside — I'm sweating a lot.

Usage Guide

Context: nature, everyday, emotion

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 水在流。(The water is flowing.)
• 别哭了，你看眼泪都流下来了。(Don't cry — look, your tears are flowing down.)

Don't Say

• 不要说'时间流了' (Don't say 时间流了 — for time passing, say 时间过了 or use 流逝 in formal writing)

Origin & History

Pictographic character originally showing water flowing between banks. The left side 氵 is the water radical, and the right side represents the flowing motion.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal