Meaning of 保留
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to keep
- to retain
- to have reservations (about sth)
- to hold back (from saying sth)
- to put aside for later
How to use 保留
保留 is used for keeping things that might otherwise be lost or removed, such as traditions, old buildings, seats, or rights. It also describes holding back an opinion. Example: 这个老房子被保留下来了。(Zhège lǎo fángzi bèi bǎoliú xiàlái le.) This old house was preserved.
保 (bǎo) means to protect, as in 保护 (bǎohù), and 留 (liú) means to stay or leave behind, as in 留下 (liúxia). Put them together: you protect something so it stays, which means to keep or retain it.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 保留 with 保持 (bǎochí). 保持 means to maintain a state, like 保持安静 (keep quiet), while 保留 means to keep something from being removed or lost, like 保留座位 (save a seat).
保留 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
保 bǎo · to defend · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
留 liú · to leave · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 7
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- 10
Related words
Words that share a character with 保留.
| 留下 | liúxia | to leave behind; to stay behind |
| 留学生 | liúxuéshēng | student studying abroad; returned student; foreign student; international student |
| 保护 | bǎohù | to protect; to defend |
| 保证 | bǎozhèng | guarantee; to guarantee |
| 保持 | bǎochí | to keep; to maintain |
| 确保 | quèbǎo | to ensure; to guarantee |
| 保安 | bǎo'ān | to ensure public security; to ensure safety (for workers engaged in production) |
| 保险 | bǎoxiǎn | insurance; to insure |
| 保存 | bǎocún | to conserve; to preserve; to keep; to store; (computing) to save (a file etc) |
| 环保 | huánbǎo | environmental protection; environmentally friendly |
| 留学 | liúxué | to study abroad |
| 保密 | bǎomì | to keep sth confidential; to maintain secrecy |
Questions about 保留
What does 保留 mean?
保留 (bǎoliú) means "to keep; to retain" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 保留?
保留 is made of 2 characters: 保 (9 strokes), 留 (10 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 保留 an HSK word?
Yes. 保留 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 保留意见 mean?
保留意见 (bǎoliú yìjiàn) means to have reservations or to keep your own opinion without fully agreeing. You might hear 我保留我的意见 (wǒ bǎoliú wǒ de yìjiàn), meaning I still hold my own view.
Can 保留 mean to reserve something for later?
Yes. It can mean to set something aside, such as 保留到明天 (bǎoliú dào míngtiān), keep it until tomorrow. For booking a hotel or restaurant, though, Chinese usually uses 预订 (yùdìng) instead.