解放
jiěfàng · HSK 5
liberate
⛓️💥 解 = untie/loosen + 放 = release/let go
解 means to untie or solve (originally a knife 刀 separating an ox 牛 by its horns 角). 放 means to release or set free. Together: untie and release = liberate, emancipate.
解 — horn 角 + knife 刀 + ox 牛
解 is an ideograph showing hands using a knife (刀) to separate the horn (角) from an ox (牛). The original meaning was to butcher or dismember an ox, which broadened to 'untie, separate, loosen,' and then extended figuratively to 'explain' or 'understand'—to take something apart mentally.
放 — 方 (square/phonetic) + 攵 (rap/strike radical)
放 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 方 supplies the sound and 攵 (a hand holding a stick) supplies the meaning of striking or driving away. The original sense was to banish or drive out, which broadened over time to 'release', 'let go', and 'put down'.