留念 (liú niàn) — to keep as a souvenir; to recall fondly

Definition

留念 emphasizes keeping a physical token (like a photo) as a personal souvenir and recalling it fondly. It is strictly a verb, unlike 纪念 which can be a noun meaning 'keepsake' or a verb meaning 'commemorate,' and it links memory to an object rather than general mental recall (回忆) or emotional longing (怀念/留恋).

verb

to keep as a souvenirto recall fondly

Examples

留念。
Wǒmen pāi le yì zhāng zhàopiàn liú niàn.
We took a photo as a souvenir.
留念。
Tā bǎ zhè zhāng zhàopiàn dàngzuò liú niàn.
He kept this photo as a souvenir.
留念。
Nà duàn huíyì yǒngyuǎn zhídé liú niàn.
That memory is always worth recalling fondly.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.