泄露
xiè lù · HSK 7
to divulge
💧🤫 泄 (leak/drain) + 露 (expose/reveal) = a secret drains out and gets exposed
泄 carries the water radical 氵, the sense of draining or leaking out. 露 means to expose or reveal (also dew, the moisture that surfaces). Together they describe information seeping out where it shouldn't.
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).
露 — rain 雨 (top) + road 路 (bottom, phonetic)
露 combines 雨 'rain' as the meaning component with 路 'road' as the phonetic. It originally referred to dew — the moisture that settles overnight on outdoor paths. From there it extended to 'expose' or 'reveal,' since dew lies open on surfaces.