留 is also the simplified spelling of 㽞, 畱.

留

Mandarin · pinyin liú

Meanings

  1. to leave (a message etc)
  2. to retain
  3. to stay
  4. to remain
  5. to keep
  6. to preserve
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Characters in this entry

留
liú · stop, halt; stay, detain, keep
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2 · liu2

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Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

1character link45same-tone records
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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Rime · Wiktionary

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

lau4

Cantonese word readings for 留. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character

  1. to stay; to remain
  2. to ask someone to stay; to detain
  3. to keep; to save; to hold in reserve; to retain; to maintain
  4. to leave behind (a package, a message, an impression, etc.)
  5. (abbreviation, alt-of) short for 留學/留学 (liúxué, “to study abroad”)
  6. to accept (a gift)
  7. to allow to grow
  8. to concentrate (on something)
  9. (alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 流 (liú)
  10. a surname

character

  1. (archaic) to wait; to await

character

  1. (alt-of, alternative, name) Alternative name for 昴 (mǎo).

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack