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瀉 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
瀉xièto leak; diarrheax, 18 strokes, radical 氵
xiè(xie4) T4
  1. 1to leak; diarrhea
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

瀉xiè(xie4)

The character 瀉 (xiè) primarily means 'to leak' or 'to spill out', and it is commonly used in the context of bodily functions, especially diarrhea. This term can be employed in both medical settings and casual conversations when discussing digestive issues.

Strokes18Radical氵
Cultural Note

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, diarrhea can be linked to dietary choices and environmental factors, making this term relevant in discussions about health and wellness in Chinese culture.

Memory Tip

Imagine a leaky pipe (the radical 水, meaning water) that spills water everywhere, representing the way diarrhea causes 'liquid' to leak from the body. The sound 'xiè' can remind you of 'shedding' fluid, reinforcing the meaning.

Meanings of 瀉

xiè(xie4)
1to leak; diarrhea
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 瀉

瀉Simplified
18Strokes
氵Radical
非语素字non-morpheme character (n-m.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 瀉

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Podcast: 瀉

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 瀉

Quick Contrast

泄 (xiè) - choose 瀉 (xiè) when referring specifically to bodily functions like diarrhea, whereas 泄 (xiè) can mean to leak or let out more generally.

Usage Notes

Be cautious when using this word, as it can be considered informal in some contexts, especially when discussing health issues. It is often used with phrases like '腹泻' (fùxiè - diarrhea) or '泄漏' (xièlòu - leak) in more formal discussions.

HSK Study Tips

Although 瀉 is not part of the official HSK vocabulary, it connects to HSK Level 3 terms related to health and bodily functions. Focus on understanding its usage in medical scenarios and how it can be paired with other health-related words.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 瀉 with 泻, thinking they are entirely interchangeable without realizing that 瀉 has a more medical connotation. For example, saying '我有泻' instead of '我有腹泻' would be incorrect in a medical context.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 瀉

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Etymology of 瀉

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 写 represents the sound. Simplified form of 瀉.

Memory Hint

water

Semantic (meaning)氵
+
Phonetic (sound)寫
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters

Jason Etymology Detective

Case file: 瀉

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 写 represents the sound. Simplified form of 瀉.

  1. 1The meaning half氵 carries the sense.
  2. 2The sound half寫 is there for the reading, not the meaning.
  3. 3The giveawaywater
  4. 4On the record aspictophonetic.

Every clue here comes from the character's recorded structure — nothing is guessed.

Want the full history of 瀉? Jason searches the paleographic record, weighs the competing accounts and judges the popular story.

Charged once for this character — everyone reads it afterwards.
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 瀉?

Decomposition of 瀉

IDS Structure⿰氵寫
瀉Full Character
=
氵shui3
left
寫xie3
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 瀉?

How to say to leak; diarrhea in Chinese

“to leak; diarrhea” in Chinese is瀉xiè

The character 瀉 (xiè) primarily means 'to leak' or 'to spill out', and it is commonly used in the context of bodily functions, especially diarrhea. This term can be employed in both medical settings and casual conversations when discussing digestive issues.

When to use 瀉

Be cautious when using this word, as it can be considered informal in some contexts, especially when discussing health issues. It is often used with phrases like '腹泻' (fùxiè - diarrhea) or '泄漏' (xièlòu - leak) in more formal discussions.

瀉 or something close to it

泄 (xiè) - choose 瀉 (xiè) when referring specifically to bodily functions like diarrhea, whereas 泄 (xiè) can mean to leak or let out more generally.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 瀉 with 泻, thinking they are entirely interchangeable without realizing that 瀉 has a more medical connotation. For example, saying '我有泻' instead of '我有腹泻' would be incorrect in a medical context.

Write 瀉

瀉

Practice writing 瀉 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Word Family of 瀉

Words Containing This Character14
腹泻fùxièdiarrhea腹瀉
泻xièto flood瀉
泻药laxative瀉藥
倾泻to pour down in torrents傾瀉
泻湖lagoon瀉湖
泽泻water plantain rhizome (used in TCM)澤瀉
上吐下泻to vomit and have diarrhea上吐下瀉
泄泻loose bowels洩瀉
泻盐epsom salts瀉鹽
番泻叶senna leaf (Folium sennae)番瀉葉
奔泻pour down奔瀉
泻肚to have diarrhea瀉肚
泻肚子to have diarrhea瀉肚子
乳糜泻celiac disease乳糜瀉
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 腹泻 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 瀉

Both characters are pronounced the same and have similar meanings, but 瀉 is more commonly used in medical contexts, while 泻 is often used in everyday language.

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