流

liú

HSK 4

流 — liú

1. to flow (liquid, gas, time, etc.)

   水从杯子里流出来了。 shuǐ cóng bēizi lǐ liú chūlái le — Water flowed out of the cup.

2. to disseminate; to circulate or spread (information, rumors, ideas)

   这个消息很快就在朋友圈里流开了。 zhège xiāoxī hěnkuài jiù zài péngyǒu quānlǐ liú kāi le — The news quickly spread through our circle of friends.

3. to move, drift, or be in motion (people, objects)

   人潮在广场上四处流动。 réncháo zài guǎngchǎng shàng sìchù liúdòng — The crowd was moving in all directions across the square.

4. to degenerate; to go bad; to decline morally or in quality

   如果不加以管理，这个制度可能会流弊。 rúguǒ bùjiā yǐ guǎnlǐ zhège zhìdù kěnéng huì liúbì — If not managed, this system may become corrupt/degenerate.

5. to banish or send into exile

   古代王朝常把犯人流放到边疆。 gǔdài wángcháo cháng bǎ fànrén liúfàng dào biānjiāng — Ancient dynasties often exiled criminals to the frontier.

6. a stream of water or something resembling a stream

   屋檐下有一股水流进了水桶。 wūyánxià yǒu yīgǔ shuǐliú jìn le shuǐtǒng — A stream of water from under the eaves flowed into the bucket.

7. class, rank, rate, or grade (category)

   他被公认为一流的画家。 tā bèi gōngrèn wéi yìliú de huàjiā — He is recognized as a first-class painter.