出版
chūbǎn · HSK 5
publish
📚 出版 = 出 (go out) + 版 (printing block) → go out via printing
出 means to go out or come forth; 版 originally meant a wooden printing block (now also edition or plate). Together: a text goes out into the world via the printing block — i.e. to publish.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'
版 — 片 (slice/board) + 反 (phonetic 'fǎn')
版 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 片 component means a thin slice or board of wood, indicating the meaning, while 反 supplies the sound. Originally it referred to wooden writing tablets or printing blocks, which extended to today's senses of 'edition,' 'printing plate,' and 'version.'