流放 (liú fàng) is a formal verb meaning 'to banish' or 'to exile'—to forcibly send someone far away from their home, usually as legal punishment. The first character 流 (liú) means 'to flow' or 'to drift', evoking the idea of being carried away uncontrollably; the second character 放 (fàng) means 'to release' or 'to let go', but here it carries the connotation of expulsion or abandonment. Together, they suggest being cast out and set adrift, often to remote or inhospitable regions.

This term appears frequently in historical narratives, literature, and legal contexts—especially when describing imperial punishments in ancient China, such as sending officials to frontier areas like Xinjiang or Hainan for political offenses. While rarely used in modern legal practice, it remains common in academic, literary, and journalistic writing to convey severe, state-imposed displacement. It implies official authority, harshness, and permanence—or at least long-term separation from society.