张贴
zhāng tiē · HSK 7
to post
📋 张 spread-out-sheet + 贴 paste = paste a sheet up = post a notice
张 is the measure word for flat sheets of paper and means to spread open; 贴 means to paste or stick. Together they mean sticking a flat notice onto a wall — to post or put up an advertisement. The tiē in 贴 also shows up in 贴纸, a sticker.
张 — bow 弓 + long 长 (phonetic)
张 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 弓 (bow) gives the meaning, originally referring to stringing or drawing a bow. The right side 长 supplies the sound. From 'draw a bow' it extended to 'stretch, open, spread,' and is now also a very common surname.
贴 — shell radical 贝 + occupy 占
A semantic-phonetic compound. The shell radical 贝 (originally cowrie shells used as money) signals the meaning, since 贴 first meant 'to pawn' or 'to pledge' something for money. The phonetic 占 (zhān) hints at the sound. The meaning later broadened to 'paste/stick on' and 'subsidy'.