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散布 (sàn bù) — to disseminate, to spread (news, rumors, information)

Definition

散布 is 'to spread/disseminate' — usually rumors, false info, or unwelcome ideas (note the negative tone in examples). It is more negative-leaning than the neutral 传播 and 宣传, and more deliberate than the physical spread of 扩散.

verb
to disseminateto spread (news, rumors, information)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 散布。
    Tā men sàn bù le bù shí de xiāo xi.
    They disseminated false information.
  • 散布。
    Zhè zhǒng guān diǎn zhèng zài wǎng shàng xùn sù sàn bù.
    This viewpoint is spreading rapidly online.
  • 散布。
    Wǒ men yào dǐ zhì è yì sàn bù yáo yán de xíng wéi.
    We should resist the act of maliciously spreading rumors.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

散sànspread
布bùbroadcast

散 (spread) and 布 (broadcast) together convey disseminating news or rumors.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 林林líntrees, forest
  • 攴攴pūto knock, to tap

散 combines 林 (trees or forest) and 攴 (to knock or tap), originally showing knocking to clear vegetation, later extended to breaking up or dispersing.

Open 散 →

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
巾巾jīnkerchief
Sound part声符shēngfú
父
父fù布bù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

布 pairs 巾, a kerchief, with 父 as a sound part.

Open 布 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Communication & Speech

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