小解 (xiǎojiě): to urinate

Meanings

1 to urinate
2 to relieve oneself (number one)
3 to empty one's bladder

Characters

小

to release; to relieve

Examples

他下车去路边小解。

Tā xià chē qù lùbiān xiǎojiě.

He got out of the car to relieve himself by the roadside.

病人需要按时小解。

Bìngrén xūyào ànshí xiǎojiě.

The patient needs to urinate on a regular schedule.

Tips

register

小解 is a polite, slightly old-fashioned euphemism — common in medical contexts and older literature. The complementary 大解 (dàjiě) means to defecate. In everyday speech, you would say 上厕所 (shàng cèsuǒ, 'go to the toilet') or 嘘嘘 (xūxū) when speaking with children.