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解脱 (jiě tuō) — to free oneself (from a burden, pain, or difficult situation); (Buddhism) to achieve liberation from worldly suffering and the cycle of rebirth

Definition

解脱 means a deep, often emotional or spiritual release from suffering — heavier than 摆脱 ('shake off a negative thing') and 脱身 ('slip away from a task'). Use 解除 for lifting a rule or agreement.

verb
to free oneself (from a burden, pain, or difficult situation)(Buddhism) to achieve liberation from worldly suffering and the cycle of rebirth
Easily confused

Examples

  • 解脱。
    Tā zhōng yú cóng zhài wù de fán nǎo zhōng jiě tuō chū lái le.
    He finally freed himself from the worries of debt.
  • ，解脱。
    Duì hěn duō rén lái shuō, chū jiā shì wèi le zhuī qiú jīng shén shàng de jiě tuō.
    For many people, becoming a monk is about pursuing spiritual liberation.
  • ，解脱。
    Tā lí hūn hòu gǎn dào yì shēn qīng sōng, xiàng cóng láo lóng zhōng jiě tuō le yí yàng.
    After her divorce, she felt completely free, as if freed from a cage.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

解jiěuntie
脱tuōdetach

解 means untie, 脱 means detach, together suggesting release from a burden.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

解 shows 刀 (knife) separating 角 (horn) from 牛 (cow), giving the picture of cutting up an ox.

Open 解 →

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 脫; 脱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròu
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì脫tuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 脫 puts ⺼ (meat) beside 兌, which gives the sound; the simplified 脱 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 脱 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract ConceptsReligion & Belief5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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