How you say... I feel good after finally getting closure

Question

I'm looking for an idiom that describes feeling better after getting closure/some explanation/clarity on a certain issue... whether breaking up with significant other and having a final face-to-face... getting explanation on death of a loved one.. etc.

Any thoughts?

松了口气 or 如释重负 or 解脱了 – user58955 Dec 02 '13 at 03:13 — user58955, Dec 02 '13 at 03:13

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 01 '13 at 23:21

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I got 恍然大悟/善始善终/松了口气/释然/如释重负/大彻大悟/冰释前嫌/释然放怀，无复蔕芥/尘埃落定 etc. in mind. But they don't mean the same.

answered Dec 01 '13 at 23:21

tomriddle_1234

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Could you please provide short definitions, or at least what the differences are between the terms? – congusbongus Dec 02 '13 at 01:32
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"But they don't mean the same." How do they differ? This answer would be a lot more helpful if you could provide some insight into their differences. – deutschZuid Dec 03 '13 at 03:44
I wish you have 现代汉语大词典 or 新华书店的成语词典, you 'll learn more if you do the research by yourselves. If you do it online, for example http://www.zdic.net/c/2/79/125715.htm, this is the explanation of 如释重负， however I suggest use the standard books mentioned, online website is not reliable if you wish learn it seriously. – tomriddle_1234 Dec 04 '13 at 00:26

score 2 · Accepted Answer · edited Dec 26 '13 at 04:03

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松了口气=(literally) to get my lung exhausted=to finally relax

如释重负=(literally) just like having uninstalled a heavy burden=to finally relax

Other expressions include

拨开云雾见太阳=拨云见日（short form）=(literally) to wipe away clouds and fog to see the sun=to feel happy after a catastrophe (metaphor or literally)

edited Dec 26 '13 at 04:03

rschwieb

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answered Dec 20 '13 at 21:17

Joseph S WU

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score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 27 '14 at 02:38

恍然大悟 <= you understood something finally

善始善终 <= you have a good start and a good end of a non-trivial task

松了口气 <= relief

释然 <= .... um .... also relief .... but written in a literal manner

如释重负 <= get rid of some heavy responsibilities

大彻大悟 <= understood some great big ideas, changing your attitude/thought/life in a good way

冰释前嫌 <= settled a serious misunderstanding or even quarrel

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Jun 27 '14 at 01:44

The phrase 了结一桩心事 is quite nice here

了结 can be used to mean closure, like mentioned in the question ("getting explanation on death of a loved one.. etc.").

Oxford && A Chinese-English Dictionary both define it as:

了结一桩心事

take a load off one's mind

a quick baidu search turns up some example usage:

退个党真麻烦,不过总算了结一桩心事。
了结一桩心事,转眼看见另一桩心事。
订单填完,了结一桩心事。

If you really want to emphasize, feeling good after getting some, closure this is not a bad way of doing it.

How you say... I feel good after finally getting closure

4 Answers4