放 (fàng) - to release & to let go
放 · fàng
to release;
to let go;
to set free;
to put;
to place;
to discharge;
to emit;
to blossom;
to bloom
to releaseto let goto set free
Usage highlights
to put downto releaseto let goto bloomto give upto put away
Usage & contexts
Examples
- Please put the book on the table (把书放在桌子上).
- The flowers are blooming (花开了).
- He was released from prison (他被从监狱释放了).
- Don't give up (不要放弃).
Collocations
- to put down(放下)
- to release(释放)
- to let go(放开)
- to bloom(开放)
- to give up(放弃)
- to put away(放好)
Idioms
- To let the tiger return to the mountains(放虎归山)
- To shoot an arrow without a target(无的放矢)
- To release horses and stack weapons(放马堆兵)
- To let go of the past(放怀过去)
Cultural background
FAQ- The character combines 方 (square, direction) and 攵 (strike, action), suggesting the action of sending forth or releasing in a directed manner.
- In Confucian thought, 'to release' can relate to letting go of desires or strict control, as in governing with benevolence.
- In modern contexts, it often conveys freedom, liberation, or the act of placing something intentionally.