留

• 拼音: liú
• 汉字拆解: 留 = 卯 (phonetic) + 田 (field) — originally to stay in a field

含义

To stay; to remain; to keep; to leave behind. Indicates keeping something in place or not departing.

Versatile verb used for staying in a place, keeping or saving something, leaving something behind for someone, or asking someone to stay. Also appears in many common compounds like 留学 (study abroad) and 留言 (leave a message).

例句

1. 请把你的电话号码留给我。
2. 这本书你先留着吧。
3. 他决定留在北京工作。

用法指南

语境: everyday, requests

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 你能留一下吗？(Can you stay for a bit?)
• 请留下你的联系方式。(Please leave your contact information.)

错误说法

• 不要混淆'留'和'流' (Don't confuse 留 (stay/keep) with 流 (flow) — they sound similar but mean very different things)

起源与历史

Phonosemantic character: 卯 (phonetic component) + 田 (field). Originally meant to remain in a field, later generalised to staying or keeping.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal