pèi

match

Original meaning: 

mix wine

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and a remnant of represents the sound. Based on the original meaning "mix wine". The meaning later shifted to "match".

Components
酉 meaning component

  Meaning component

yǒu

  

wine

妃 sound,remnant component

  Sound Remnant component

fēi

  

wife

Evolution

配 Oracle script (~1250-1000 BC)

Oracle script

(~1250-1000 BC)
配 Bronze script Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Bronze script

Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
配 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
配 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
配 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

 

pèi

match, pair; equal; blend; to join; to fit; to mate; to mix; to match; to deserve; to make up (a prescription); to allocate

Most common words with 配
Freq.
Word
Meaning

to join

配合

matching

分配

to distribute

搭配

to pair up

配置

to deploy