Meaning of 流利
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- fluent
How to use 流利
流利 describes how smoothly someone speaks or writes, most often a language. It usually follows 说得 or comes before 的 to describe a noun. Example: 她的中文说得很流利。(Tā de Zhōngwén shuō de hěn liúlì.) Her Chinese is very fluent.
流 (liú) means to flow, like water, and 利 (lì) means sharp or smooth, as in 顺利 (shùnlì). When your speech flows like water and moves smoothly without catching, you are 流利 (liúlì), fluent.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 流利 with 顺利 (shùnlì). 流利 is for speaking or writing a language, while 顺利 means a task or trip goes smoothly, so say 工作很顺利, not 工作很流利. Also keep 利 in the fourth tone, not the second.
流利 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.
流 liú · to flow · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
利 lì · sharp · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 流利.
| 顺利 | shùnlì | smoothly; without a hitch |
| 流行 | liúxíng | (of a contagious disease etc) to spread; to propagate; (of a style of clothing, song etc) |
| 利用 | lìyòng | to exploit; to make use of |
| 胜利 | shènglì | victory |
| 交流 | jiāoliú | to exchange; exchange |
| 有利 | yǒulì | advantageous; favorable |
| 权利 | quánlì | right (i.e. an entitlement to sth); (classical) power and wealth |
| 利益 | lìyì | benefit; (in sb's) interest |
| 利息 | lìxī | interest (on a loan) |
| 流传 | liúchuán | to spread; to circulate; to hand down |
| 潮流 | cháoliú | tide; current |
| 不利 | bùlì | unfavorable; disadvantageous |
Questions about 流利
What does 流利 mean?
流利 (liúlì) means "fluent" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 流利?
流利 is made of 2 characters: 流 (10 strokes), 利 (7 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 流利 an HSK word?
Yes. 流利 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say someone speaks a language fluently in Chinese?
Use the pattern 说 + language + 说得很流利, or just language + 说得很流利. For example, 他英语说得很流利 (Tā Yīngyǔ shuō de hěn liúlì) means he speaks English fluently.
Can 流利 be used before a noun?
Yes, add 的 in between, as in 流利的中文 (liúlì de Zhōngwén), fluent Chinese. You will also hear 流利地 before a verb, as in 流利地回答 (liúlì de huídá), to answer fluently.