Sometimes a strong feeling sits in you — anger, grief, fear — and you let it out by talking, writing, crying, or acting, and afterwards you feel cleaner and lighter. That letting-out is catharsis.

Sometimes有時候 a strong feeling sits in you一種強烈的情緒會積在你心裡 — anger憤怒, grief悲傷, fear恐懼 — and而 you let it out你把它釋放出來 by talking, writing, crying, or acting靠著說出來、寫下來、哭出來，或用行動表現出來, and而 afterwards事後 you feel cleaner and lighter你會覺得比較乾淨也比較輕鬆。That letting-out這種釋放 is catharsis就是 catharsis。

A teacher of old Greek plays, Aristotle, used the word for the way a sad play washes big feelings through the people watching. Doctors once used it for cleaning the body out as well; the feeling-sense grew from that idea of a purge, a wash.

A teacher of old Greek plays一位研究古希臘戲劇的學者, Aristotle亞里斯多德, used the word用這個字 for the way a sad play washes big feelings through the people watching來描述一齣悲劇怎麼把強烈的情緒洗過觀眾的心。Doctors醫生 once used it曾經也用這個字 for cleaning the body out as well來指清空身體、排毒; the feeling-sense情緒上的這個意思 grew from that idea of a purge, a wash就是從排空、清洗這個想法發展出來的。

It is a formal school-and-clinic word. In ordinary talk someone might just say they needed a good cry, or that talking helped.

It is它是 a formal school-and-clinic word一個正式、常出現在學術和診療場合的字。In ordinary talk在日常對話裡 someone might just say一個人可能只會說 they needed a good cry他們需要好好哭一場, or that talking helped或是說說出來有幫助。

You do not need the Greek word to have the thing; the word is there for when you want to name the process itself.

You do not need the Greek word你不需要用這個希臘字 to have the thing才能經歷這件事; the word is there這個字存在 for when you want to name the process itself是為了在你想指稱這個過程本身的時候使用。