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)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to remain"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to remain", including 留 (liú), 仍 (réng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to remain" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 留 (liú), 仍 (réng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span liú, réng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 留 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 留 liúleave (message); to retain; to stay; to remain; to keep; to preserveUseful words: 留下, 留学生
- 仍 réngstill; yet; to remainUseful words: 仍然, 仍旧
Common words for these 2 "to remain" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 留 (liú) — so "to remain" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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)仍然réng ránstill; as before; yet仍旧réng jiùstill (remaining); to remain (the same); yet频仍pín réngfrequent
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 remain".
仍 réng — still; yet; to remain
已经很晚了，他仍然在工作。Yǐ jīng hěn wǎn le, tā réng rán zài gōng zuò.It is already very late, but he is still working.
Common words: 仍然 (réng rán)、仍旧 (réng jiù)、频仍 (pín réng)
All 2 characters
Open 留、仍 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.