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流liúto flow

HSK 4word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

流 (liú) means "to flow," as in 河里的水在流 (the water in the river is flowing). It is also used for blood and tears coming out of the body, as in 流了很多血 (bled a lot) and 流眼泪 (to shed tears). It is a common everyday verb.

What does 流 mean?

  1. 1.

    to flowverb

What does the character 流 mean?

  • 流to flow

How do you use 流?

流 often goes with liquids: 流水, 流血, 流眼泪. For songs or styles that are popular, use the separate word 流行.

What are some examples of 流 in a sentence?

  1. 水流得很快。

    Shuǐ liú de hěn kuài.

    The water flows very fast.

  2. 河里的水在流。

    Hé li de shuǐ zài liú.

    The water in the river is flowing.

  3. 她流了很多眼泪。

    Tā liú le hěn duō yǎnlèi.

    She shed a lot of tears.

How is 流 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    你的手怎么了?

    Nǐ de shǒu zěnme le?

    What happened to your hand?

  2. Speaker B:

    刚才切菜的时候手流了很多血。

    Gāngcái qiē cài de shíhou shǒu liú le hěn duō xiě.

    My hand bled a lot when I was cutting vegetables just now.

  3. Speaker A:

    你想去医院吗?

    Nǐ xiǎng qù yīyuàn ma?

    Do you want to go to the hospital?

  4. Speaker B:

    没事,已经不流了。

    Méi shì, yǐjīng bù liú le.

    It's fine, it has already stopped bleeding.

What should you learn next?

English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.