How to Write 泄 (xiè) — Meaning “To leak; to vent; to release”

Imagine a water pipe (氵) that crosses through the whole world (世) — but it has a small crack, causing water to leak and spray everywhere. This visual of water escaping across the world helps you remember both the shape and the meaning "to leak."

When writing 泄, the left radical 氵 must be written with three dots in a compact vertical line, and the right side 世 has a horizontal stroke that should cross through the vertical stroke in the middle. A common mistake is making the right side too wide or forgetting that 世 ends with a small horizontal stroke at the bottom, not a vertical one.

The character 㳄 (not standard in modern Chinese) resembles 泄 but has a different right part related to saliva or overflow, while 汊 (chà) means a fork or branch in a river and has the right part 叉 (chā, fork). In contrast, 泄 specifically means to leak or release, and its right part is 世, not a fork or a mouth-like shape.

泄 appears in words like 泄露 (xiè lòu) for leaking information, 泄气 (xiè qì) meaning to lose heart or to leak air, and 宣泄 (xuān xiè) for venting emotions. It is often used in formal or written contexts, such as news reports about data leaks or in psychological discussions about emotional release.

Common words containing 泄 include: 泄露 (xiè lòu) — To leak (information); to reveal; 泄气 (xiè qì) — To lose heart; to be discouraged; to leak air; 宣泄 (xuān xiè) — To vent; to release (emotions)..