留学
to study abroad
liúxué
What does 留学 mean?
留学 (liúxué) means 'to study abroad' — leaving your home country to pursue education in another country, usually at a university. The characters literally mean 'stay-study': 留 ('stay / remain') + 学 ('study'), because the original sense was 'stay in another country to study.' It is a separable verb that typically takes a place phrase with 在 or 去: 去美国留学 ('go to America to study abroad'), 在中国留学 ('study abroad in China'). The person doing it is a 留学生 (liúxuéshēng, 'study-abroad student / international student').
Cultural note: 留学 is a major life event in modern Chinese society, often discussed in terms of family investment and future career. Don't confuse with simply 'studying' (学习) or 'going to school' (上学) — 留学 specifically implies crossing borders. The opposite implication is 回国 (huíguó, 'return to one's home country')
Character breakdown
to stay; remain; leave (something) behind
to study; learn
Memory hook: 留 (stay) + 学 (study) — stay in another country to study.
Example sentences
我想去美国留学。
Wǒ xiǎng qù Měiguó liúxué.
I want to study abroad in the US.
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他在英国留学了三年。
Tā zài Yīngguó liúxué le sān nián.
He studied in the UK for three years.
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我们班有很多留学生。
Wǒmen bān yǒu hěn duō liúxuéshēng.
Our class has a lot of international students.
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留学不容易，但是很有意思。
Liúxué bù róngyì, dànshì hěn yǒu yìsi.
Studying abroad isn't easy, but it's very interesting.
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Common phrases with 留学
Synonyms
出国 means 'go abroad' for any reason — work, travel, or study. 留学 specifically means going abroad to study. People often combine them: 出国留学.
Don't confuse 留学 with
学习 is the general verb 'to study / learn' — any subject, any place. 留学 is specifically studying in a foreign country. You 学习中文 anywhere; you 留学 only by going abroad.
上学 means 'go to school / attend school' — daily school attendance. 留学 is the broader life decision to study in another country. A 留学生 still has to 上学 every day.