(liú lì) - fluent in Mandarin
liúlìTraditional: 流利
Translation
fluent
Stroke order
流
利
Examples
。
She speaks English very fluently.
。
His Chinese is getting more and more fluent.
。
I hope to speak fluent French within three years.
。
Speaking fluently requires daily practice.
。
He answered the questions in fluent Mandarin at the interview.
流利 (liúlì) is fluent, describing speech that flows smoothly without hesitation. 流 (liú) means "to flow, to stream" and 利 (lì) here contributes the sense of "smooth, sharp", so the compound paints a picture of language flowing like water rather than stalling word by word.
It almost always describes how someone speaks a 语言 (yǔyán, from yu3-yan2), language, rather than how well they understand grammar rules: 说得流利 (shuō de liúlì), "speaks fluently", is the standard pattern, with 说 (shuō, from shuo1) plus 得 (de) plus the description. You can also put 流利 directly in front of a noun, as in 流利的英语 (liúlì de Yīngyǔ), "fluent English".
A learner aiming for this level should not confuse 流利 with 完美 (wánměi), "perfect": native speakers use 流利 to praise someone whose Mandarin runs smoothly even if their grammar or word choice is not flawless, which is a useful, realistic goal to hold on to while you 学习 (xuéxí, from xue2-xi2), study.
Where this fits
Used in
Grammar articles
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流利: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "流利" (fluent): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 109.