留
liú
to leave (a message etc)
to retain; to stay; to remain; to keep; to preserve; old variant of 留[liu2]
sound (卯) + field (田) = stay and keep
卯 primarily contributes the sound liú here; 田 (field) anchors the meaning — to stay and tend the land, to keep what you cultivate. The image of remaining rooted to your plot captures the sense of retention.
请把你的电话号码留给我。
qǐng bǎ nǐ de diàn huà hào mǎ liú gěi wǒ。
Please leave your phone number with me.
他决定留在家乡，照顾年老的父母。
tā jué dìng liú zài jiā xiāng，zhào gù nián lǎo de fù mǔ。
He decided to stay in his hometown to take care of his aging parents.
Words with 留
挽留
wǎn liú
to urge to stay
留待
liú dài
to leave sth for later
留任
liú rèn
to remain in office; to hold on to one's job
手下留情
shǒu xià liú qíng
lit. start off leniently (idiom); please do not be too strict with me
残留
cán liú
to remain; to be left over
留恋
liú liàn
reluctant to leave
逗留
dòu liú
to stay for a while; to sojourn
遗留
yí liú
to leave behind
阻留
zǔ liú
to intercept
阿留申群岛
ā liú shēn qún dǎo
Aleutian Islands (trailing 2250 km southwest of Alaska almost down to Kamtchatka)
鸡犬不留
jī quǎn bù liú
lit. not even chickens and dogs are spared (idiom)
巩留
gǒng liú
Gongliu County or Toqquztara nahiyisi in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture 伊犁哈薩克自治州|伊犁哈萨克自治州[Yi1 li2 Ha1 sa4 ke4 Zi4 zhi4 zhou1], Xinjiang