散布
sàn bù · HSK 7
to disseminate
🌬️🌱 散 scatter + 布 spread = to scatter-and-spread, i.e. disseminate
散 carries the sense of scattering or dispersing; 布 means to spread out (also cloth). Together they mean spreading something widely, like news or seeds. Note 散布 (sàn bù, disseminate) differs from 散步 (sàn bù, take a walk).
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.
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'.