Meaning of 留下
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to leave behind
- to stay behind
- to remain
- to keep
- not to let (sb) go
How to use 留下
留下 is used for people staying behind, for leaving things behind, and for keeping something or someone. It often takes an object, like an impression, a message, or a person. Example: 他给我留下了很好的印象。(Tā gěi wǒ liúxia le hěn hǎo de yìnxiàng.) He left a very good impression on me.
留 (liú) means to stay or keep, and 下 (xià) means down. Picture something being set down and kept in place, so it stays behind when everyone else leaves.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 留下 (liúxia, to stay or leave behind) with 离开 (líkāi, to leave a place), which mean nearly opposite things. Also note that 留 (liú) has a second tone, and its top part is easy to miswrite, so do not mix it up with 溜 (liū, to slip away).
留下 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.
留 liú · to leave · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
下 xià · down · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 留下.
| 坐下 | zuò xia | to sit down |
| 下次 | xià cì | next time |
| 下午 | xiàwǔ | afternoon; p.m. |
| 下车 | xià chē | to get off or out of (a bus, train, car etc) |
| 楼下 | lóu xià | downstairs |
| 下班 | xiàbān | to finish work; to get off work; next service (train, bus etc) |
| 下雨 | xià yǔ | to rain |
| 下课 | xiàkè | to finish class; to get out of class |
| 下边 | xiàbian | under; the underside |
| 一下儿 | yīxiàr | erhua form of 一下[yi1 xia4] |
| 放下 | fàngxia | to lay down; to put down; to let go of; to relinquish; to set aside |
| 接下来 | jiē xiàlái | to accept; to take |
Questions about 留下
What does 留下 mean?
留下 (liúxia) means "to leave behind; to stay behind".
How do you write 留下?
留下 is made of 2 characters: 留 (10 strokes), 下 (3 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 留下 an HSK word?
Yes. 留下 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 下 in 留下 pronounced xià or xia?
In everyday speech 下 is often light and toneless, so you hear liúxia. In careful speech and many dictionaries it is written liúxià, and both are acceptable.
How do I ask someone to stay using 留下?
You can say 你留下吧。(Nǐ liúxia ba.) Please stay. To insist that a guest stays, people also use 留 alone, as in 留他吃饭 (liú tā chīfàn), to keep him for a meal.