放假

• Pinyin: fàng jià
• Hanzi breakdown: 放 (release, let go) + 假 (holiday, leave) — to be released for a holiday

Meaning

To have a holiday; to go on vacation. Describes the state of being off from work or school.

Used for any kind of break from work or school — weekends, national holidays, summer vacation, etc. Often appears in questions like 你什么时候放假？ Can also be used by institutions: 学校放假了 (the school is on holiday).

Examples

1. 下个星期我们放假。 We have a holiday next week.
2. 你什么时候放假？ When do you have your holiday?
3. 放假了，我想去旅游。 It's vacation time; I want to go travelling.

Usage Guide

Context: school, work, everyday

Tone: conversational

Do Say

• 明天放假，我们去玩吧。(Tomorrow is a holiday, let's go have fun.)
• 学校下周放假三天。(The school has three days off next week.)

Don't Say

• 我今天放假了工作。(放假 is intransitive — don't add an object after it; say 我今天放假，不工作)

Origin & History

Compound of 放 (to release, let go) and 假 (holiday, leave) — literally 'to release from duties for a break.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal