发泄
fā xiè · HSK 7
to give vent to (one's feelings)
🌋 fā xiè = emit + release — blow off steam like a pressure valve
发 means emit or send out, 泄 means leak or discharge. Together they describe letting pent-up emotions rush out, like opening a valve to release built-up pressure.
发 — simplified form of 發; from 癶 (two feet) + 弓 (bow) + 殳 (weapon)
The traditional form 發 depicted shooting an arrow from a bow, with 癶 showing outstretched feet and 弓 the bow, giving the core sense of 'send out, discharge.' From this came extended meanings like 'issue, emit, develop.' The modern simplified 发 also absorbed 髮 (hair), so it now covers both 'to send out' and 'hair.'
泄 — water radical 氵 + 世 (generation/world)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 氵 gives the water meaning while 世 supplies the sound. The original sense was water leaking or flowing out, which extended figuratively to 'leak out' (secrets, air) and 'discharge' or 'vent' (emotions, frustration).