维 wéi — to preserve; to maintain; to hold together; dimension
我们要维护教室的卫生。Wǒ men yào wéi hù jiào shì de wèi shēng.We should keep the classroom clean.
Common words: 维持 (wéi chí)、维护 (wéi hù)、维修 (wéi xiū)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to preserve"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to preserve", including 维 (wéi), 留 (liú). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to preserve" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 维 (wéi), 留 (liú) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span wéi, liú — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 维 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 维 wéito preserve; to maintain; to hold together; dimensionUseful words: 维持, 维护
- 留 liúleave (message); to retain; to stay; to remain; to keep; to preserveUseful words: 留下, 留学生
Common words for these 2 "to preserve" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 维 (wéi) — so "to preserve" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
维持wéi chíto keep; to maintain; to preserve维护wéi hùto defend; to safeguard; to protect; to uphold维修wéi xiūmaintenance (of equipment); to protect and maintain留下liú xiàto leave behind; to stay behind; to remain; to keep留学生liú xué shēngstudent studying abroad; returned student; foreign student; international student保留bǎo liúto keep; to retain; to have reservations (about sth); to hold back (from saying sth)
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "to preserve".
留 liú — leave (message); to retain; to stay; to remain; to keep; to preserve
请把座位留给老人。Qǐng bǎ zuò wèi liú gěi lǎo rén.Please leave the seat for the elderly.
Common words: 留下 (liú xià)、留学生 (liú xué shēng)、保留 (bǎo liú)
All 2 characters
Open 维、留 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.