Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (water) is compressed and occupies about one-third of the horizontal space, leaving the right side (世) balanced and slightly wider.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 洩 uses the standard three-dot water radical (氵) alongside 世. The simplified form 泄 retains the exact same left-right structure and radical components.
1. Meaning
to leak out or discharge (liquids, gas, or secrets)
to vent or release (anger, resentment)to divulge or leak confidential information
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "e" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
x
Type: Alveolo-Palatal Fricative
Sounds like: sh sound pronounced further forward with the tongue blade near the back of the lower teeth
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Hissing friction with lips stretched wide in a smile.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tip of the tongue rests behind lower front teeth, blade raised toward the hard palate
Final Rhyme
ie
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: rhymes with 'yeh' or 'yep' without the final p
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'yeh'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
5 → 1 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 is a strong, abrupt drop from high to low pitch, matching an authoritative command or an emphatic English 'No!'
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the alveolo-palatal initial [ɕ] with the retroflex [ʂ] (sh), or confusing Tone 4 with Tone 2 or 3.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply down like a nodding 'no' or an angry downward chop of the hand.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 8 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (water) is compressed and occupies about one-third of the horizontal space, leaving the right side (世) balanced and slightly wider.
Simplification Logic: The traditional form 洩 uses the standard three-dot water radical (氵) alongside 世. The simplified form 泄 retains the exact same left-right structure and radical components.
4. Components
Radical氵 · Water Radical (Water, liquids, rivers, or dampness)
Semantic Clue (形旁):氵 (Indicates that the action involves liquids escaping or flowing out.)
Water (氵) escaping generation after generation (世) through a crack.
氵 water / liquid
世 generation / world (phonetic and semantic hint)
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
2· Phonetic Root: 曳 (yè)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined from the water sign (氵) to represent liquid and (世) as a phonetic indicator denoting leaking or trickling water.
Semantic Evolution: Originally referred strictly to water leaking or overflowing, later extended metaphorically to the release of air, gas, anger, and confidential information.
The component 世 historically depicted branches or generations linked together, lending a sense of continuous flow.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
tiết
The entering tone in Sino-Vietnamese corresponds to short checked syllables, matching Mandarin Tone 4's abrupt drop.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: セツ (setsu) / イ (i) / Kun: もら.す (morasu)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
설
Sound Shift Bridge: Mandarin xiè shares cognate roots with Sino-Xenic readings like Japanese 'setsu' and Vietnamese 'tiết'.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Water (氵) starts leaking generation after generation (世) from the old pipes, until the secret finally spills out.
泻 uses the ice/water variant radical and typically refers specifically to watery diarrhea or torrential flooding, whereas 泄 is broader for general leaks, emotions, and secrets.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
我們不能把公司的機密信息___露出去。
Clue: xiè
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing 泄 (xiè - leak) with 写 (xiě - to write) due to similar vowel sounds, or misusing 泄 when referring to physical drainage versus digital data leaks.
Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 泄 combined with 密 in 泄密, what does it mean?
Production: How do you write the character meaning 'to leak or divulge' with a water radical on the left?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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洩xièleak out, discharge, divulge
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