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发泄 (fā xiè) — to vent, to give vent to (one's feelings)

Definition

发泄 is 'to vent' emotions like anger or stress, typically onto something external (running, crying, others). 宣泄 is more literary and also covers draining or revealing secrets.

verb
to ventto give vent to (one's feelings)

Examples

  • 发泄。
    Tā tōng guò pǎo bù lái fā xiè yā lì.
    He vents stress by running.
  • ，发泄。
    Tā dà shēng kū le yì chǎng, bǎ xīn lǐ de wěi qu dōu fā xiè chū lái le.
    She cried loudly and vented all the grievances in her heart.
  • 发泄。
    Bié bǎ nù qì fā xiè zài bié rén shēn shàng.
    Don't vent your anger on others.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

发fālet out
泄xièvent

Both 发 and 泄 mean letting something out, so together they mean to vent feelings.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 洩; 泄 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
曳
曳yè洩xiè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 洩, 氵 marks the water-related meaning, while 曳 gives the sound; the simplified 泄 is a later abbreviation.

Open 泄 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & Feelings5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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