流 (liú) - flow, stream, current & to flow

流Tone 2

liú ｜ 10 strokes ｜ radical: 氵

林伦

流 · liú

flow, stream, current;

to flow;

to spread;

to circulate;

class, rate;

to drift;

to degenerate

flow, stream, currentto flowto spread

Usage highlights

river flowair currentelectric currenttraffic flowpeople flowinformation flow

Synonyms

  • 淌— to flow, to drip
  • 涌— to surge, to gush
  • 奔— to rush, to run

Antonyms

  • 滞— stagnant, blocked
  • 停— to stop, to halt
  • 固— solid, fixed

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The river flows eastward (河流向东流).
  • Air circulation is important (空气流通).
  • He belongs to the working class (他属于工人阶级).
  • Time flies (时光流逝).
  • Information spreads quickly (信息快速流传).

Collocations

  • river flow(河流)
  • air current(气流)
  • electric current(电流)
  • traffic flow(车流)
  • people flow(人流)
  • information flow(信息流)

Idioms

  • Follow the current and drift with the tide(随波逐流)
  • Water flows downward, people strive upward(水往低处流，人往高处走)
  • A steady stream of visitors(川流不息)
  • Fame spreads far and wide(名流四海)
  • Source and course of a stream(源流)
  • Flowing water and falling flowers(流水落花)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In Daoist philosophy, 'flow' represents natural movement and effortless action (wu wei).
  • In Chinese aesthetics, flowing water symbolizes constant change and the passage of time.
  • The character appears in many compound words related to modern concepts like information flow and currency flow.
  • Historically used to describe social classes and intellectual currents.

FAQ