布置

• Pinyin: bù zhì
• Hanzi breakdown: 布 = 巾 (cloth) + 父 (father, phonetic) — cloth, to spread; 置 = 罒 (net) + 直 (straight) — to place, to set

Meaning

To arrange; to decorate; to assign. Used for setting up a space or assigning tasks.

Has two main uses: (1) to decorate or arrange a physical space, as in setting up a room for an event; (2) to assign work or tasks, especially homework (布置作业) or duties. In military/work contexts, it can mean to deploy or organise resources.

Examples

1. 老师每天都会布置一些课后作业。 The teacher assigns some after-class homework every day.
2. 他们把教室布置得非常漂亮，准备迎接新年。 They decorated the classroom beautifully, ready to welcome the new year.
3. 经理布置了下周的工作任务。 The manager assigned the work tasks for next week.

Usage Guide

Context: education, workplace, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 老师布置的作业不太多。(The homework assigned by the teacher isn't too much.)
• 我们一起布置婚礼现场吧。(Let's decorate the wedding venue together.)

Don't Say

• 说'布置房间'来表示打扫房间 (Don't use 布置房间 when you mean cleaning a room — 布置 means decorating or arranging, not cleaning; use 打扫房间 for cleaning)

Origin & History

布 means 'cloth' or 'to spread out'; 置 means 'to place' or 'to set up'. Together they convey the idea of spreading things out and placing them in order.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal