释放

• Pinyin: shì fàng
• Hanzi breakdown: 释 = 釆 + 睪 (to release, untie — to loosen what was bound; also to explain/interpret); 放 = 方 + 攴 (to release, let go — striking outward to free something)

Meaning

To release; to set free; to emit or discharge. To free a person from custody, or to discharge energy, gases, or emotions that have been contained.

Operates across legal, physical, psychological, and chemical domains. In law: 释放嫌疑人 (to release a suspect), 无罪释放 (to acquit and release). In physics/chemistry: 释放能量 (to release energy), 释放热量 (to emit heat), 释放有害气体 (to discharge harmful gases). In psychology: 释放压力 (to release stress), 释放情绪 (to vent/release emotions). Common collocations: 提前释放 (early release), 有条件释放 (conditional release), 假释 (parole). Contrast: 解放 (liberation — broader, political/ideological), 解除 (to remove/lift — e.g. a restriction).

Examples

1. 法院裁定检察机关提供的证据不足以维持起诉，当庭宣布释放该嫌疑人，并就其被超期羁押期间所受的不当对待表示遗憾。 The court ruled that the evidence provided by the procuratorate was insufficient to sustain the prosecution, announced in court that the suspect would be released, and expressed regret over the improper treatment he received during his extended detention.
2. 研究人员发现，高强度的有氧运动能促进大脑分泌内啡肽，从而有效释放积累已久的心理压力，改善情绪状态。 Researchers have found that high-intensity aerobic exercise can promote the brain’s release of endorphins, effectively relieving long-accumulated psychological stress and improving mood.
3. 核聚变反应堆的核心原理是通过可控的等离子体约束，让轻核在高温高压条件下发生聚变，从而以稳定的方式释放出巨大的核能。 The core principle of a fusion reactor is to use controlled plasma confinement so that light nuclei fuse under high temperature and pressure, thereby releasing enormous nuclear energy in a stable way.

Usage Guide

Context: law, psychology, physics, chemistry, energy, environment

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 拘留期超过法定上限而仍未提起正式指控的情况下，当事人的辩护律师有权向法院申请人身保护令，要求司法机关立即释放被羁押的当事人。(Where the period of detention has exceeded the legal maximum and formal charges have still not been brought, the detained person's defence lawyer has the right to apply to the court for a writ of habeas corpus, demanding that the judicial authority immediately release the detained individual.)
• 城市心理健康体系应提供多样的压力释放渠道，如咨询、社区支持和文化空间。(A city's mental health system should provide diverse channels for releasing stress, such as counselling, community support, and cultural spaces.)

Don't Say

• 释放 when referring to liberating people from oppression on a large scale — use 解放 (liberation — political/ideological emancipation) or 解救 (to rescue); 释放 specifically refers to releasing from custody or emitting contained substance/energy, not broad-scale ideological or political liberation

Origin & History

释 (to release, to explain, to loosen — 釆 to distinguish + 睪 phonetic, suggesting untying/explaining) + 放 (to let go, to set free — 方 direction + 攴 to strike outward)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal