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放松 (fàng sōng) — to relax

Definition

放松 is the everyday verb for 'to relax' — your body or mind. Unlike 松懈, it has no negative sense of slacking off.

verb
to relax

Examples

  • ，放松。
    Gōng zuò tài lèi le, nǐ yīng gāi duō fàng sōng.
    Work is too tiring; you should relax more.
  • 放松。
    Tīng yīn yuè kě yǐ bāng zhù nǐ fàng sōng xīn qíng.
    Listening to music can help you relax your mood.
  • ，放松。
    Jià qī de shí hou, wǒ xǐ huan zài jiā fàng sōng.
    During holidays, I like to relax at home.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

放fàngrelease
松sōngloose

“放” indicates releasing tension, and “松” gives the result of becoming loose.

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
攵Written in full as攴pūhand, action
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng放fàng
Same sound today

放 uses 方 for its sound and 攵, a hand/action part, to mark an action of release.

Open 放 →

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
木木mùwood
Sound part声符shēngfú
公
公gōng松sōng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

松 uses 木 (wood) to show it is a tree, and 公 to give the sound.

Open 松 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 51000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsMental Health2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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