wai4 lau4遺留遗留
Jyutpingwai4 lau4
Yalewàih làuh
Definition
To leave behind or hand down after one's departure.
neutraldaily actionsother
How it's used
Focuses on items or traces accidentally or intentionally left behind after departing a location. While it can be used for abstract concepts like historical issues, it is most commonly used in daily life to describe forgetting personal belongings in public spaces or transport. It carries a slightly more formal or serious tone than the more common spoken term 留低.
Examples
Did you leave anything behind when you left?
It seems he left his bag behind on the bus.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 留低, but 遺留 is more formal and often implies an oversight or an unintended consequence, whereas 留低 is the standard, neutral way to say leave something behind in any context.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
