溜达

• Pinyin: liū da
• Hanzi breakdown: 溜 = 氵+ 留 (smooth movement); 达 = 辶 + 大 (to reach, extend)

Meaning

To stroll; to take a leisurely walk. A relaxed, aimless walk with no particular destination.

A distinctly colloquial and northern Chinese expression for a casual walk. Conveys ease, leisure, and the absence of urgency. Often used in contexts of after-dinner walks or light exercise.

Examples

1. 晚饭后，老两口手牵手在小区里溜达了半个小时。 After dinner, the elderly couple held hands and took a leisurely walk around the complex for half an hour.
2. 他无聊的时候喜欢在附近的公园里溜达，放松一下心情。 When he’s bored, he likes to stroll around the nearby park to relax.
3. 周末没什么安排，她就在老街上溜达了一圈，看看新开的店铺。 With no plans for the weekend, she took a stroll down the old street to check out the newly opened shops.

Usage Guide

Context: casual, daily life

Tone: relaxed

Do Say

• 吃完晚饭我们出去溜达溜达吧。(Let's go for a stroll after dinner.)
• 他每天早上会在附近溜达一圈再去上班。(He takes a short stroll around the neighbourhood every morning before heading to work.)

Don't Say

• 把溜达用于正式场合描述步行 — 溜达 is colloquial and implies aimless leisure walking; use 散步 in slightly more formal or written contexts (In written or formal contexts, use 散步 instead of 溜达)

Origin & History

溜 (to slip, move smoothly) + 达 (to reach, extend) — to move smoothly and leisurely without a fixed destination.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal