解忧

解憂
jiěyōu
verb #38,173

Meanings

  1. 1 to dispel worry
  2. 2 to relieve sorrow / cares

Examples

Hé yǐ jiě yōu, wéi yǒu Dù Kāng.
What dispels sorrow? Only Du Kang (i.e. wine).
Tīngting yīnyuè néng jiěyōu.
Listening to music can take your mind off your troubles.

Tips

history
Famous from Cao Cao's 《》: 何以解忧,唯有杜康 — 'What dispels my sorrow? Only Du Kang.' Du Kang was the legendary inventor of wine, so the line uses his name as a metonym for liquor. Per 《新华词典》: 解忧 = 排解心中忧愁 ('to dispel the sorrow in one's heart').
culture
Title of Keigo Higashino's 2012 novel 《解忧杂货店》 (English: 'The Miracles of the Namiya General Store'), a bestseller in China — also a 2017 Sino-Japanese film adaptation. The phrase has been pulled into modern self-help branding.

Stroke Order

jiě
yōu