In Chinese culture, holidays are often collective, synchronized events. While an American might “take a vacation” using their personal PTO anytime, 放假 (fàngjià) often implies a group experience. The entire country or a whole company starts their holiday at the same time for major events like:
This collective nature means that when it's time to 放假, cities transform. Major transportation hubs are packed, tourist sites are flooded, and there's a shared, national buzz of excitement. This is very different from the more individualistic Western approach to vacation time. The closest concept to “requesting personal time off” is not 放假, but 请假 (qǐngjià), which means “to request leave.” If you are sick and can't go to work, you 请假, you don't 放假. Understanding this distinction is key to using the term correctly.
放假 (fàngjià) is an extremely common, neutral term used in all situations, from official company announcements to casual chats with friends. Because it's a verb-object phrase, it's “separable,” which is a crucial grammar point. This means you can insert words, especially durations, in the middle.