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发放 (fā fàng) — to distribute, to issue, to grant (often officially or systematically)

Definition

发放 means an organization or authority officially gives out things (goods, funds, documents, loans). More institutional than 散发 (which is just hand out / give off); contrasts with 分配 (allocate by plan) and 给予 (more formal/literary).

verb
to distributeto issueto grant (often officially or systematically)

Examples

  • 发放。
    Zhèng fǔ xiàng dì zhèn zāi qū fā fàng shí wù hé yǐn yòng shuǐ.
    The government distributes food and drinking water to the earthquake-stricken area.
  • 发放。
    Xué xiào měi nián fā fàng jiǎng xué jīn gěi chéng jì yōu yì de xué shēng.
    The school distributes scholarships to students with excellent grades each year.
  • 发放。
    Yín háng xiàng zhōng xiǎo qǐ yè fā fàng dī xī dài kuǎn.
    The bank provides low-interest loans to small and medium enterprises.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

发fāsend out; distribute
放fànggive out; release

Both parts mean to send out or give out, so together it describes distributing items or funds systematically.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攵Written in full as攴pūhand, action
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng放fàng
Same sound today

放 uses 方 for its sound and 攵, a hand/action part, to mark an action of release.

Open 放 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6

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