流利 liúlì — fluent, smooth-flowing
liúlì (second tone, rising)liu2li4
fluent, smooth-flowing
HSK 4· HSK 1–4 (classic)adjective
Meanings
fluent, smooth-flowing
流, to flow, and 利, sharp and unhindered — speech that moves like water, without searching for words. It describes the manner of speaking or writing, not how much has been learned; 流利 and 快 are entirely separate qualities.
adjective
Example sentences
- 她的法语说得很流利。她的法語說得很流利。Tā (first tone, high and level) de (neutral tone) Fǎyǔ (third tone, dipping) shuō (first tone, high and level) de (neutral tone) hěn (third tone, dipping) liúlì. (second tone, rising)···
She speaks French very fluently.
- 这篇文章写得很流利，也很清楚。這篇文章寫得很流利，也很清楚。Zhè (fourth tone, falling) piān (first tone, high and level) wénzhāng (second tone, rising) xiě (third tone, dipping) de (neutral tone) hěn (third tone, dipping) liúlì, (second tone, rising) yě (third tone, dipping) hěn (third tone, dipping) qīngchu. (first tone, high and level)···
This piece is written smoothly and clearly.
Common mistakes
Not quite他说汉语说得很快，所以很流利。
Correct他说汉语说得很流利，虽然不快。
流利 is smoothness — no stumbling, no searching for words — not speed. A person can speak slowly and still be 流利, or quickly while stumbling constantly; the two qualities are independent of each other.