流派 liúpài tributary (stream)
tributary (stream); (figuratively) school (of thought); genre; style
How to remember 流派: 流 flow + 派 faction = tributary (stream).
Characters
How it is used
- Means a school, genre, or style (of art, thought, martial arts) - 不同的绘画流派 (bùtóng de huìhuà liúpài) different painting schools.
- Positive/neutral: it celebrates diversity of styles, unlike 派别 (pàibié) which implies factional division.
- Common in arts and cultural discussion: 武术流派 (wǔshù liúpài) martial-arts styles.