# 到處留情



## indigoduck

"一個男人如果到處留情，人家會說他就是情聖，但是..."

i read this in a novel, but i don't understand the meaning of 留情 ?

is this analogoes to bees flying to every flower and leaving their mark (到處做愛？) or something less intense such as flirting everywhere ?

thanks!


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## Jerry Chan

到處留情 means to have romances with many people.


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## xiaolijie

What does 情聖 in the sentence mean? Does it have other meanings in a different context ?


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## Darren_Wu

In our point of view, "到處留情" refers to a man having love affairs with many women, including sex, of course. Then we call the man "他真是個情聖".

In addition, "情聖" might be used to depict a man who is good at wooing a woman.

Anyone else has anything else to say about it?


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## xiaolijie

> "情聖" might be used to depict a man who is good at wooing a woman.


Thank you! I've also just looked on the internet and one of the meanings I found for it is: "情场上剩下的人/ 情场上剩下的下脚料". So does it also mean someone who is disappointed in love or who is not good at it?


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## Darren_Wu

xiaolijie said:


> So does it also mean someone who is disappointed in love or who is not good at it?


 
Oh no, 聖≠剩, I think the former is almost always used in a positive way. 
 
As for "情场上剩下的人/ 情场上剩下的下脚料", we might use the word “情剩” to describe them. It is a relatively new word and I just heard it in recent years.


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## Ghabi

情聖 means a Casanova.


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## Jerry Chan

Darren_Wu said:


> In our point of view, "到處留情" refers to a man having love affairs with many women, including sex, of course. Then we call the man "他真是個情聖".
> 
> In addition, "情聖" might be used to depict a man who is good at wooing a woman.
> 
> Anyone else has anything else to say about it?



Hi Darren,
There's no indication whether sex is involved.
We better leave it unsaid. 

Note that 留情 has one more meaning: to be forgiving.
e.g. 手下留情

We often use it in a negative way.
毫不留情 means pulling no punches.


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## Darren_Wu

LOL! Comes to "留情" in this context, though there is nothing about "sex" from the literal meaning, I think many of us in Mainland China would consider that sex has been involved.


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## Jerry Chan

By the way, there is an interesting saying:
風流者, 留情不留精；下流者, 留精不留情。


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## xiaolijie

> 風流者, 留情不留精；下流者, 留精不留情。


'風流者'和'下流者' 不是一样的吗？我分不清


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## lumiere137

They are definitely different! '风流者' refers to a person having affairs with lots of people, like Casanova. But '下流者' means a ribald. When used, '下流' can be very offending.


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## xiaolijie

> '风流者' refers to a person having affairs with lots of people, like Casanova. But '下流者' means a ribald. When used, '下流' can be very offending.


Thank you, but don't people get offended if you called them '风流者' ?


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## Jerry Chan

I certainly won't get offended. 
風流 is strangely quite a complimentary term in Chinese.


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## lumiere137

Would you be offended if others describe you as 'romantic and successful with ladies', which is the definition of '风流'?


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## xiaolijie

> Would you be offended if others describe you as 'romantic and successful with ladies', which is the definition of '风流'?


'romantic and successful with ladies' is not quite the same with 'having affairs with lots of people' as in your previous post 
Anyway, it's fine, I've got the idea.


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## avlee

> "情聖" might be used to depict a man who is good at wooing a woman.
> Thank you! I've also just looked on the internet and one of the meanings I found for it is: "情场上剩下的人/ 情场上剩下的下脚料". So does it also mean someone who is disappointed in love or who is not good at it?


What you searched is really interesting. Your understanding is correct. But it's for another word 情剩 which is elaborately created as a pun word for 情圣. (because they share the same pronouncitation but having the opposite meaning of one another)


> LOL! Comes to "留情" in this context, though there is nothing about "sex" from the literal meaning, I think many of us in Mainland China would consider that sex has been involved.
> 
> By the way, there is an interesting saying:
> 風流者, 留情不留精；下流者, 留精不留情。


It might be a bit off topic. Physically, I feel it's hard to practice like that. But it tells the subtles between 风流 and 下流. That is 下流 values sex over romance, while 风流 works the other way round. Sometimes, 风流 also means having sex as in 风流快活.


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## Suntoo

中国人用的留情现在更多的是 照顾情面而予以宽恕。
风流跟下流是不懂的，风流事中性词，上面用的都可以，下流是贬义词，对人行为不检，行为举止过于流氓。


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## tinang

Please think of the word "情" in the chinese literature. In the traditional culture, no sex in should be included. "情" can presented in family, friend and lover. No sex relationship before marriage. (Can "情" expressed by sentiment?) "手下留情" mostly used in chinese literature. It is "人情" / "情理". 

"一個男人如果到處留情，人家會說他就是情聖". 
中國人對愛情既傳統要專一, 這句只可以代表一個男人花心, 去愛太多女人, 或許是有許多段愛情. 現代人來說, 好聽一點, 叫情聖; 難聽一點, 叫風流. (請注意, 古文章, 風流不等同現在的解法, 唔好亂解.)


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## Dorothea01

風流和到處留情 不太一样，前者是很花心的意思，后者是指很多爱


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