Definition
留守 means 'to stay behind to take care of things'. Historically it referred to officials staying to govern when the emperor was absent; in modern Chinese it often describes family members, especially children and elderly, who are left behind when parents migrate to cities for work. It can be used as a verb directly or in compounds like 留守儿童 (left-behind children).
v.
(historical/military) to stay behind (to handle affairs when the main person or force is away)(modern) to be left behind (especially of children or elderly when family members migrate)
Examples
- ，留守。Huángdì líkāi shǒudū, yóu tàizǐ liú shǒu.The emperor left the capital, and the crown prince stayed behind to govern.
- ，留守。Hěnduō nóngcūn de háizi fùmǔ qù chénglǐ gōngzuò, tāmen zhǐ néng liú shǒu zài jiā.Many rural children's parents go to work in cities, and they have to stay behind at home.
- ，留守。Nǐmen qù kāihuì, wǒ liú shǒu bàngōngshì.You go to the meeting, I'll stay behind at the office.
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