泄
xiè · HSK 7
to leak
💧 氵 water + 世 (world/age) = water draining out into the world; to leak
The three-dot water radical 氵 flags a liquid sense; 世 (shì, generation) lends the sound. Together: water that escapes and drips away. Same xiè family covers leaking gas, draining, and discharging.
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).