Dictionary › 流

流

liú

HSK 4 Character

What 流 means

1. to flow
2. to disseminate
3. to circulate or spread
4. to move or drift
5. to degenerate
6. to banish or send into exile
7. stream of water or sth resembling one
8. class, rate or grade

Example sentences

• 交流。
  Communicate.
• 我流鼻涕。
  Wǒ liú bítì.
  My nose is running.
• 她流泪了。
  She shed tears.
• 我在流血。
  I'm bleeding.
• 他流口水。
  He drools.
• 她在流鼻血。
  Tā zài liú bíxiě.
  Her nose is bleeding.

Words starting with 流

• 流行liú xíng(of a contagious disease etc) to spread; to propagate…
• 流泪liú lèito shed tears
• 流利liú lìfluent
• 流传liú chuánto spread; to circulate; to hand down
• 流氓liú mángrogue; hoodlum; gangster
• 流通liú tōngto circulate; to distribute; circulation; distribution
• 流浪liú làngto drift about; to wander; to roam
• 流露liú lùto reveal (indirectly, implicitly); to show (interest, contempt etc) by means of one's…
• 流动liú dòngto flow; to circulate; to move about; mobile; (of assets) liquid
• 流水liú shuǐrunning water; (business) turnover
• 流程liú chéngcourse; stream; sequence of processes
• 流血liú xuèto bleed; to shed blood
• 流畅liú chàngflowing (of speech, writing); fluent; smooth and easy
• 流淌liú tǎngto flow
• 流失liú shī(of soil etc) to wash away; to be eroded; (fig.)…
• 流出liú chūto flow out; to issue; to leak
• 流星liú xīngmeteor; shooting star; meteor hammer (abbr. for 流星锤
• 流逝liú shì(of time) to pass; to elapse
• 流量liú liàngflow rate; throughput of passengers; volume of traffic; (hydrology) discharge…
• 流入liú rùto flow into; inflow
• 流亡liú wángto go into exile; to be in exile
• 流域liú yùriver basin; valley; drainage area
• 流产liú chǎnto have a miscarriage; (fig.) to fail; to fall through
• 流派liú pàitributary (stream); (fig.) school (of thought); genre

Words containing 流

• 交流jiāo liúto exchange; exchange; communication
• 轮流lún liúto alternate; to take turns
• 主流zhǔ liúmain stream (of a river); fig. the essential point; main viewpoint of a matter
• 一流yī liútop quality; front ranking
• 潮流cháo liútide; current; trend
• 支流zhī liútributary (river)
• 川流不息chuān liú bù xīthe stream flows without stopping (idiom); unending flow
• 禽流感qín liú gǎnbird flu; avian influenza
• 河流hé liúriver
• 风流fēng liúdistinguished and accomplished; outstanding; talented in letters and unconventional in…
• 人流rén liústream of people; abortion; abbr. for 人工流产
• 物流wù liúdistribution (business); logistics
• 水流shuǐ liúriver; stream
• 下流xià liúlower course of a river; low-class; mean and lowly
• 漂流piāo liúto float on the current; to drift along or about; rafting
• 泪流满面lèi liú mǎn miàncheeks streaming with tears (idiom)
• 上流shàng liúupper class
• 名流míng liúgentry; celebrities
• 车流chē liútraffic; rate of traffic flow
• 分流fēn liúto diverge; to divert; to divide into separate streams (river flow, traffic etc)…
• 中流zhōng liúmidstream
• 电流diàn liúan electric current; (old) current intensity
• 直流zhí liúto flow steadily; direct current (DC)
• 溪流xī liústream

Characters built on 㐬

These share the phonetic component 㐬 (), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 硫liúsulfur (chemistry)
• 琉liúprecious stone
• 旒liútassel

Characters that look like 流

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 淡dàninsipid; diluted; weak
• 浇jiāoto pour liquid; to irrigate (using waterwheel); to water
• 菠bōspinach
• 琉liúprecious stone
• 浣huànto wash; to rinse; any of three 10-day division of the month (during Tang dynasty)
• 涟liánripple; tearful

Sounds the same

Read liú, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 留to leave (a message etc); to retain; to stay
• 浏clear; deep (of water); swift
• 刘(classical) a type of battle-ax; to kill; to slaughter
• 瘤tumor
• 榴pomegranate
• 遛used in 逗遛
• 琉precious stone
• 硫sulfur (chemistry)
• 馏to distill; to break a liquid substance up into components by boiling
• 骝bay horse with black mane
• 旒tassel
• 镏(Taiwan; chemistry) lutetium