配送
pèi sòng · HSK 7
delivery
📦🚚 配 (allocate) + 送 (send) = allocate-and-send = distribution/delivery
配 means to allocate or pair up, 送 means to send or deliver. Together they name the logistics step where sorted goods get sent out: distribution and delivery.
配 — wine vessel 酉 + self 己
Originally depicted a person 己 beside a wine jar 酉, suggesting matching or distributing wine at ceremonies. From this came the meaning 'to pair, match, distribute,' and later 'to deserve' or 'to mix/compound.' The 酉 component gives the wine-related semantic root, while 己 contributes phonetically.
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.'