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如释重负 (rú shì zhòng fù) — to feel relieved (as if a heavy burden has been lifted)

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning a great weight has been lifted — 'to feel greatly relieved' after a long burden or worry ends. Use for dramatic relief, stronger than a plain 松了口气.

idiom
to feel relieved (as if a heavy burden has been lifted)

Examples

  • ，如释重负。
    Kǎo wán zuì hòu yì mén, wǒ men zhōng yú rú shì zhòng fù.
    After finishing the last exam, we finally felt relieved.
  • ，如释重负。
    Tīng dào duì fāng tóng yì hé jiě, tā rú shì zhòng fù dì sōng le yì kǒu qì.
    Hearing that the other party agreed to settle, he breathed a sigh of relief as if a burden was lifted.
  • ，如释重负。
    Xiàng mù àn shí wán chéng, zhěng gè tuán duì dōu rú shì zhòng fù.
    The project was completed on time, the whole team felt relieved.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ如rú
Same sound today

如 is built from 口 (mouth) for its meaning and 女 (woman) for its sound.

Open 如 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 釋; 释 is its simplified writing.

  • 釆釆biànto distinguish
  • 睪睪yìto release; to see

The traditional form 釋 puts 釆 (to distinguish) beside 睪, a part that gives the sound and means “to release; to see”; the simplified 释 is a later shortened shape.

Open 释 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
東
東dōng重zhòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

重 developed from a picture of a man carrying a bag, with 人 for the man and 東 for the bag; a later ground element was folded into the form.

Open 重 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 負; 负 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 負 combines 人 (person) and 貝 (cowry), with 人 written as ⺈; the simplified 负 is a later abbreviation.

Open 负 →
Appears in
Emotions & FeelingsIdioms & Set Phrases

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