保留(bǎo liú) - to keep, to retain; to hold back, to reserve in Mandarin

保留 (bǎo liú) covers two jobs that English splits between keep and hold back. The first is preservation: 保留传统, 保留原文, 保留这栋老房子. The second is withholding: 保留意见 is to keep your opinion to yourself, 有所保留 is to be less than fully frank.

It is a two-syllable verb of the formal-ish sort, so it takes 着 and 了 comfortably (还保留着) but does not reduplicate. Its close neighbour 保持 is about maintaining a state or a level (保持安静, 保持联系), while 保留 is about not letting a thing be lost or given away.

The trap is booking a table. English reserve pulls learners towards 保留 for restaurants and seats, but the everyday word there is 订 or 预订: 我订了一张桌子. 保留 in a service context means holding something already yours, as in 我们只保留座位十分钟.