公布
gōngbù · HSK 3
announce
📢 公 (public) + 布 (spread/cloth) = spread to the public = announce
公 means public or open; 布 means cloth but also to spread or distribute. Together: spread something openly to the public — to announce or promulgate. Related to 宣布 (declare) and 发布 (release).
公 — eight 八 + private 厶
Originally an ideograph showing 八 (to divide) over 厶 (private/self), depicting the act of splitting away from selfish interest. The combination came to mean 'public' or 'fair,' the opposite of private. It later extended to senses like 'duke,' 'lord,' and 'grandfather.'
布 — hand 手 (as 𠂇) + cloth 巾
Originally a pictograph of woven cloth held in a hand, combining a hand element (𠂇) with 巾 'cloth/towel'. The core meaning 'cloth' was extended to 'spread out, display' (as cloth is unfurled), giving modern senses like 'announce' and 'arrange'.