配布
はいふ · haifu · JLPT N1 · noun
distribution
📦 配 (hand out) + 布 (spread out) = handing out items to many people
配 means to allot or hand out, as in 配達 (delivery). 布 means cloth, and also to spread out. Together they describe giving items out widely to many recipients.
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.
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'.