出版
しゅっぱん · shuppan · JLPT N3 · noun
publication
📚 出版 = put out (出) + printing block (版): put out a printing
出 means to go out or put out; 版 is a printing block or edition, as in 版画 (woodblock print). To publish is to send an edition out into the world. The small っ comes from shutsu + han fusing into shuppan.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'
版 — 片 (slice/board) + 反 (phonetic 'fǎn')
版 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The 片 component means a thin slice or board of wood, indicating the meaning, while 反 supplies the sound. Originally it referred to wooden writing tablets or printing blocks, which extended to today's senses of 'edition,' 'printing plate,' and 'version.'