How to Write 溜 (liū/liù) — Meaning “To slide; to slip; to sneak away.”

Imagine water (氵) flowing over a smooth surface, causing someone to slip and sneak away (溜). The right side 留 looks like a person trying to stay put but the water makes them slide. Think of a spy who pours water on the floor to slide away unnoticed.

Write the left radical 氵 first: three dots, with the second dot slightly to the left. Then write 留: start with the top left stroke, then the vertical stroke, and finish with the bottom part. Keep the character balanced so the right side is slightly wider than the left, and avoid making the bottom of 留 too small.

溜 means to slide or slip away, while 涪 is rarely used today (it is a place name in Sichuan) and 涫 means to boil or bubble (like boiling water). Visually, 溜 has 留 on the right, 涪 has 咅 (pǒu) on the right, and 涫 has 官 (guān) on the right. Each has a different phonetic component and distinct meanings.

溜 is used in everyday expressions like 溜走 (to sneak away) and 溜冰 (to ice skate). It can also describe doing something smoothly, like 溜缝 (to fill cracks) in masonry. In Chinese culture, 溜 can imply a sneaky or quick action, often with a sense of avoiding detection.

Common words containing 溜 include: 溜走 (liū zǒu) — To sneak away; to slip away.; 溜冰 (liū bīng) — To ice skate.; 溜缝 (liū fèng) — To fill cracks; to point joints (in masonry)..