宣

xuān
verb #16,750

Meanings

  1. 1 to declare; to announce
  2. 2 to publicize; to spread

Examples

HSK 6
Zhèngfǔ xuānbù le xīn zhèngcè.
The government announced a new policy.
HSK 6
Wǒmen yào jiādà xuānchuán lìdù.
We need to increase publicity efforts.

Tips

usage
宣 is mainly used in compounds: 宣布 (to announce), 宣传 (to publicize/propaganda), 宣言 (declaration), 宣誓 (to take an oath).

Components

radical
宀 mián
roof; building
Top roof radical (Kangxi #40) - a hipped roof seen from the front, signaling that whatever follows happens inside a building. 宣 originally named the proclamation hall in the imperial palace, so the roof here is specifically the throne room. Same family: 家 home, 室 room, 安 peace-under-roof, 守 guard.
phonetic
亘 gèn
extend through; span
Bottom is 亘 - a sun rolling between two horizons, supplying the sound gèn to xuān through historical drift. Same phonetic shows up in 喧 noisy, 萱 day-lily, 暄 warm-sunny. Faint semantic flavor too: a royal proclamation 宣 was meant to spread from horizon to horizon, exactly the 'span across' image 亘 depicts.

Stroke Order

宣 xuān