DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

流連忘返

简流连忘返 · 繁流連忘返

Mandarin · pinyin liú lián wàng fǎn

to linger
to remain enjoying oneself and forget to go home

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

流: liú · flow, circulate, drift; class
連: Look up this written character
忘: wàng · forget; neglect; miss, omit
返: fǎn · return, revert to, restore
连: lián · join, connect; continuous; even

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

2–2–4–3 · liu2 lian2 wang4 fan3

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

流連忘返 · find source passages ↗ · 流连忘返 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

lau4 lin4 mong4 faan2

Cantonese word readings for 流連忘返. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) to remain enjoying oneself and forget to go home; to be unable to tear oneself away; to linger

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

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