散发
sànfā · HSK 7
to distribute; to emit; to give off
🌸💨 散 scatter + 发 send-out = scatter-and-send, i.e. radiate or emit outward
散 sàn means scatter or disperse; 发 fā means to send out or issue. Together they mean to give off or radiate something outward, like a flower that scatters and sends out its scent into the air.
散 — 月 (meat) + 攵 (action) + 卄 (hemp fibers)
Originally depicted beating hemp fibers apart with a stick, with 月 (meat/flesh) added later. The core image of separating or scattering things gave rise to meanings like 'scatter,' 'disperse,' and 'loose/leisurely.' The 攵 component signals an action done by hand.
发 — simplified form of 發; from 癶 (two feet) + 弓 (bow) + 殳 (weapon)
The traditional form 發 depicted shooting an arrow from a bow, with 癶 showing outstretched feet and 弓 the bow, giving the core sense of 'send out, discharge.' From this came extended meanings like 'issue, emit, develop.' The modern simplified 发 also absorbed 髮 (hair), so it now covers both 'to send out' and 'hair.'