‘放假’ (fàng jià) literally combines ‘放’ (to release, to set free) and ‘假’ (holiday, leave), meaning ‘to grant a holiday’ or ‘to have a holiday/vacation’. It describes the act of officially suspending work, study, or regular duties for a period of rest. Unlike English ‘to take a vacation’, which emphasizes the individual’s action, ‘放假’ often implies an institutional decision — schools, companies, or governments announce that people ‘fang jia’. It commonly appears in announcements, schedules, and conversations about public holidays, school breaks, or paid leave.

The term is used both transitively (e.g., 学校放假 — ‘the school grants a holiday’) and intransitively (e.g., 我们明天放假 — ‘we have a holiday tomorrow’). It does not refer to personal travel plans but rather to the official cessation of obligations. Frequency increases around major holidays like Spring Festival, National Day, or summer/winter breaks. Note that ‘假’ here is pronounced ‘jià’, not ‘jiǎ’ — a common tone mistake learners make.