送给
sònggěi · HSK 2
send to
🎁 送 (sòng, deliver) + 给 (gěi, give to) = deliver-give = present to
送 means send or deliver; 给 means give to someone. Together 送给 literally stacks deliver + give-to, so it means hand over as a gift or send to a recipient.
送 — 辶 (walk) + 关 (simplified from 灷, fire/torch)
Originally depicted hands holding a torch to escort someone on a journey, combined with the 'walk' radical 辶. The right side 关 is a simplification of an older form showing fire being carried. The core meaning evolved from 'escort/see off' to the broader sense of 'send' or 'give as a gift.'
给 — silk radical 纟 + 合 (combine)
Originally a phono-semantic compound: 纟 (silk) hinted at the meaning of joining threads tightly, while 合 ('combine, join') gave the sound. The early sense was 'supply' or 'provide,' which extended naturally to 'give.' In modern Mandarin it splits into gěi ('give') and jǐ ('supply').