放水

• Pinyin: fàng shuǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 放 = 攴 + 方 (to strike and release — to discharge); 水 = 氵(flowing water — the element water)

Meaning

To release water; (colloquial) to go easy on someone; to deliberately underperform. Literally means to discharge or drain water; figuratively means to lower one's standards deliberately or let someone pass easily.

The colloquial sense of deliberate underperformance or leniency is widely used in competitive sports, exams, and professional contexts. The figurative usage implies a degree of dishonesty or manipulation. The literal usage applies to irrigation, flood control, and industrial operations.

Examples

1. 水库管理员按照指令开闸放水，向下游农田灌溉输送了两千万立方米的库存水量，有效缓解了持续干旱对农业生产的影响。 Following orders, the reservoir manager opened the gates to release water, sending twenty million cubic meters downstream to irrigate farmland and effectively easing the impact of the prolonged drought on agricultural production.
2. 赛后有传言称主场球队在比赛最后阶段刻意放水以操纵比赛结果，联赛纪律委员会已宣布对该场比赛展开正式调查。 After the match, rumors circulated that the home team deliberately eased up in the final stage to manipulate the result; the league disciplinary committee has announced a formal investigation into the game.
3. 考场监考人员被指责对部分考生的违规行为视而不见，涉嫌以放水方式协助其通过了这场关键的资格认定考试。 Exam proctors were accused of turning a blind eye to some candidates’ violations, allegedly “going easy” on them to help them pass this key qualification exam.

Usage Guide

Context: sports, competition, engineering, colloquial

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 技术人员对引水渠进行定期检修后，按计划开始向灌区放水，确保春耕期间农业用水的及时供应。(After the technical personnel completed regular maintenance of the irrigation canal, they began releasing water to the irrigation area as planned, ensuring timely agricultural water supply during the spring ploughing season.)
• 评委在比赛中是否存在放水行为引发了参赛选手的强烈质疑，组委会随即承诺将对评分标准和评审流程进行全面复核。(Whether the judges engaged in deliberate leniency during the competition triggered strong questioning from participants; the organising committee immediately promised to conduct a comprehensive review of the scoring criteria and adjudication process.)

Don't Say

• 放水 to mean leaking exam content — 泄题 (leaking exam questions) is the correct term for that; 放水 more specifically means letting standards slide or allowing someone to pass easily without proper scrutiny

Origin & History

放 (to release/let flow) + 水 (water) — to let water flow; extended figuratively to mean allowing something to pass unchecked

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal