留念
liú niàn · HSK 7
to keep as a souvenir
📷 留 keep + 念 thoughts = keep the thought, a souvenir to recall fondly
留 means to keep or hold onto; 念 means to think of or miss someone. Together: holding onto a thought, what a souvenir does. Often the 念 of 纪念 (commemorate), so 留念 is keeping something for fond memory.
留 — 卯 (top) + 田 (field)
Originally a phono-semantic compound: 田 (field) suggests staying on the land, with 卯 hinting at the sound. Over time it came to mean 'remain, stay, keep,' as in keeping someone on the land or holding something in place. Modern uses include 留学 (study abroad) and 保留 (retain).
念 — 今 (now, phonetic) + 心 (heart)
念 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 心 (heart) gives the meaning, while 今 (now) supplies the sound. The original sense was 'what is on the heart right now' — a thought held in mind. From this came the modern meanings 'to think of,' 'to miss,' and 'to recite' (holding words in mind).