主办
zhǔbàn · HSK 5
host
🎤 主 (host/master) + 办 (handle/manage) = host and run an event
主 means master or host; 办 means to handle or manage. Together: to host or sponsor — the one who runs the show. Used for organizations or people directing an event.
主 — flame/lamp on top of a stand 王
Originally a pictograph of a lamp with a flame on top of its stand, representing the lord or master of the household who tended the fire. The meaning extended from 'lamp/host' to 'master, owner, main, principal'. The character 炷 (wick) preserves the original 'lamp' sense.
办 — 力 (strength) flanked by two 丶 dots
办 is the simplified form of 辦, which combined 力 (strength/effort) with 辡 (two 辛 'criminals/disputes') to mean 'to manage or handle a dispute'. The simplified shape keeps 力 in the center and reduces the surrounding element to two small dots, preserving the sense of 'doing' or 'handling' something.