Definition

1. Verb:
   • To release or set free: The primary meaning of "phóng thích" is to liberate someone or something from confinement, custody, or a state of restriction. It often implies an official or formal act of freeing.
   • To discharge: In technical or formal contexts, it can mean to allow something to leave or be emitted, such as discharging a substance or releasing energy.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Chính phủ quyết định phóng thích các tù nhân chính trị. (The government decided to release the political prisoners.)
  • Nhà máy bị phạt vì phóng thích chất thải độc hại ra môi trường. (The factory was fined for discharging toxic waste into the environment.)
  • Phiên tòa ra lệnh phóng thích bị cáo vì thiếu bằng chứng. (The court ordered the defendant to be released due to lack of evidence.)

Advanced Usage

• "phóng thích năng lượng": to release energy.

  • Phản ứng hóa học này phóng thích một lượng nhiệt lớn. (This chemical reaction releases a large amount of heat.)

• "phóng thích tù binh": to release prisoners of war.

  • Theo hiệp định, hai bên sẽ phóng thích tù binh. (According to the agreement, both sides will release prisoners of war.)

Variants and Related Words

• Thả (v): a more common and general verb for "to release" or "to let go," often used in less formal or everyday contexts.

  • Họ thả con chim trở lại tự nhiên. (They released the bird back into the wild.)

• Giải phóng (v): to liberate, often with a connotation of freeing from oppression or occupation.

  • Quân đội giải phóng thủ đô. (The army liberated the capital.)

Synonyms

• Release: to set free from confinement.
• Liberate: to set someone free from a situation of oppression or imprisonment.
• Discharge: to allow or tell someone to leave, especially from a hospital, prison, or the military; or to emit a substance.

Related Idioms

Note: "Phóng thích" itself is a formal term and is not commonly used in idiomatic expressions. The related concepts are more frequently expressed with synonyms like "thả" or "giải phóng."

verb

1. to liberate, to free, to discharge