铺路
pū lù · HSK 7
to lay a road
🧱🛣️ 铺 (lay/spread) + 路 (road) = lay down a road, paving stone by stone
铺 means to spread or lay out, 路 means road. Together: to pave or lay a road. The figurative sense — to pave the way — extends to giving a gift so someone's path to success runs smoothly.
铺 — metal radical 钅 + 甫 (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 钅 (metal) hints at meaning, while 甫 supplies the sound 'pū'. Originally referred to a metal door-knocker or ring, then extended to 'spread out' or 'lay flat' (as metal sheets are spread). Today it commonly means 'to spread/pave' or 'shop' (read pù).
路 — foot 足 + each 各 (phonetic)
路 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The foot radical 足 on the left signals meaning related to walking or travel, while 各 on the right hints at the ancient pronunciation. Originally referring to a road traveled on foot, it broadened to mean 'road, path, route' in general.