verb HSK 4
tíng liú
to stay · to stop · to remain

Meaning

停留 means to remain in a place for a period of time or to stop at a certain stage without progressing. It emphasizes the temporary nature of staying somewhere, whether physically at a location or figuratively at a particular point in development or understanding.

Usage

Native speakers use 停留 in both literal contexts (staying in a city, stopping at a station) and abstract ones (remaining at a certain level of understanding, dwelling on a memory). It's more formal than 呆 (dāi) and suggests a temporary pause rather than permanent residence. Commonly used with time expressions or location phrases.

Examples

  1. 01
    我们在巴黎只停留了三天。
    Wǒmen zài Bālí zhǐ tíng liú le sān tiān.
    We only stayed in Paris for three days.
  2. 02
    他的思想还停留在过去。
    de sīxiǎng hái tíng liú zài guòqù.
    His thinking still remains in the past.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 短暂停留
    duǎn zàn tíng liú
    to stay briefly
  • 停留时间
    tíng liú shí jiān
    duration of stay
  • 在...停留
    zài ... tíng liú
    to stay at/in...
  • 停留在表面
    tíng liú zài biǎo miàn
    to remain superficial

Antonyms

Origin

The combination of 停 (to stop) and 留 (to remain) creates a compound meaning that emphasizes both the cessation of movement and the act of staying in place.

Related