How to Write 旉 (fū) — Meaning “to spread, to unfold”

Imagine a square (方) cloth (㐭) being spread open on a table — the cloth starts folded, then you pull it flat. This visual of a square cloth unfolding directly reminds you of 旉's meaning 'to spread'.

Write the left part 方 first (dot, horizontal, horizontal hook, vertical), then the right part 㐭 (dot, horizontal, vertical, horizontal, vertical, horizontal fold, vertical). A common mistake is making the 方 too wide — keep it narrow so the taller right part dominates. Also ensure the two inner horizontal strokes in 㐭 are evenly spaced.

Visually, 旉 has the component 㐭 (cloth-like) on the right, while 施 has 㐌 (resembling a person with a mouth) and 斿 has 㐬 (a flag with a tail). In usage, 旉 is rare and means 'to spread'; 施 is common for 'to carry out' or 'to give'; 斿 is an archaic character meaning 'to wander' and is not used in modern Chinese.

旉 is quite rare and appears mainly in formal or classical phrases like 旉布 (to disseminate) or 旉荣 (to flourish). It is a variant of the more common character 敷 (also fū), which is used for 'to apply' (e.g., 敷面膜), but 旉 carries a more abstract sense of spreading or unfolding in literary contexts.

Common words containing 旉 include: 旉布 (fū bù) — to spread, to disseminate; 旉荣 (fū róng) — to flourish, to bloom; 旉演 (fū yǎn) — to elaborate, to develop.