溜 (liù): a row; a line (of things)

Meanings

1 a row; a line (of things)
2 swift current; rapids
3 rain runoff from a roof; roof gutter

Characters

溜

liù

a row; a line (of things)

Examples

HSK 3

小孩一溜烟就跑没影了。

Xiǎohái yīliùyān jiù pǎo méi yǐng le.

The kid ran off in a flash and was gone in no time.

HSK 4

街边盖了一溜新房子。

Jiē biān gài le yí liù xīn fángzi.

A row of new houses was built along the street.

HSK 7-9

他凡事都随大溜，没有自己的主见。

Tā fánshì dōu suídàliù, méiyǒu zìjǐ de zhǔjiàn.

He just follows the crowd and never has his own opinion.

Tips

usage

As liù the word names a row or line of things (一溜房子, a row of houses) or a fast-moving current. The fixed expression 随大溜 literally 'follow the big current,' means to go along with the majority. In speech this reading is often heard with a light retroflex ending.

Components

radical

氵 shuǐ

water (radical form)

Left water radical, the indexing radical. Anchors 溜 in the slippery, flowing domain: a wet surface is what you slip on. Same family as 滑 (slide), 流 (flow), 滚 (roll). The radical previews the sliding motion the right side spells out.

phonetic

留 liú

remain; stay (here phonetic)

Right 留 supplies the sound, liú to liū, only a tone shift. There is an ironic semantic clash: 留 means 'stay,' but 溜 means 'slip away.' A pure phonetic role; learners can use the contrast as a memory hook.