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溜

Mandarin · pinyin liū#

to slip away
to escape in stealth
to skate

Mandarin · pinyin liù#

swift current; rapids
(dialect) (of speech, actions etc) skilled; proficient; (of movements) quick; speedy
(bound form) rain runoff from a roof
(bound form) roof gutter
classifier for rows, lines etc
surroundings; neighborhood
(dialect) to practice
(dialect) to plaster; to fill in the cracks (with cement, lime plaster etc)

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Characters in this entry

溜: liū · slide, glide, slip; slippery

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

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Mandarin tones

1 · liu1

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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 Wiktionary · 27 senses · 3 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

lau4 · lau6 · liu1

Cantonese word readings for 溜. 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

to slide; to glide; to slip
to sneak off; to sneak away; to escape
smooth; glossy
along
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 熘 (liū, “to coat food with sauce made from thickened starch with sugar or vinegar added after deep-frying or stir-frying under high heat”)
(dialectal) to glance; to take a look
(dialectal) extremely; highly; very
expressive suffix appended to adjectives, often used in the reduplicated form 溜溜
(Jinan Mandarin) capable and skillful in handling affairs
(Nanjing Mandarin) to stroll; to wander about (usually for a short time)
(Jin) to plaster with lime, cement, etc. (of wall cracks)
(Jin) to swing and strike with a strip-like object
(literary, archaic) to pilfer; to steal; to snatch
(archaic or Harbin Mandarin) to fawn on; to curry favour with; to flatter

character

(～水) archaic name for the Liu River in modern-day Guangxi Province
(of water or other liquids) to flow downwards; to drip; to dribble
water drop or water stream
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 霤 (liù, “eavesdrop; part of the eaves where rainwater drips down; eaves gutter”)
swift current; rapids
(of water) rapid; swift and violent
(of an action) quick; swift; speedy; prompt
to shoot a glance at; to cast a sidelong glance at
(alt-of, alternative) alternative form of 遛 (“to stroll; to saunter”)
to summon; to call for; to send for
Classifier for objects arranged in lines, rows or strings.
surroundings; neighborhood
(dialectal) to fill slits with viscous substance

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

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