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

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.

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.

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.

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.