分配 (fēnpèi)

分配 refers to the systematic allocation or distribution of resources, tasks, roles, or benefits among multiple recipients according to some plan or principle.

Meanings

[verb] to allocate, to distribute, to assign
[noun] allocation, distribution, assignment

Example Sentences

公司需要合理分配资源，以提高整体运营效率。 Gōngsī xūyào hélǐ fēnpèi zīyuán, yǐ tígāo zhěngtǐ yùnyíng xiào lǜ. The company needs to allocate resources reasonably to improve overall operational efficiency.

政府正在研究如何更公平地分配社会财富。 Zhèngfǔ zhèngzài yánjiū rúhé gèng gōngpíng de fēnpèi shèhuì cáifù. The government is studying how to distribute social wealth more equitably.

毕业后，他被分配到一家国有企业工作。 Bìyè hòu, tā bèi fēnpèi dào yī jiā guóyǒu qǐyè gōngzuò. After graduation, he was assigned to work at a state-owned enterprise.

团队领导根据每个人的特长分配了不同的任务。 Tuánduì lǐngdǎo gēnjù měi gè rén de tècháng fēnpèi le bùtóng de rènwù. The team leader assigned different tasks based on each person's strengths.

收入分配不均是许多国家面临的重大社会问题。 Shōurù fēnpèi bù jūn shì xǔduō guójiā miànlín de zhòngdà shèhuì wèntí. Unequal income distribution is a major social issue facing many countries.

这笔预算将被分配到教育、医疗和基础设施三个领域。 Zhè bǐ yùsuàn jiāng bèi fēnpèi dào jiàoyù, yīliáo hé jīchǔ shèshī sān gè lǐngyù. This budget will be allocated to three areas: education, healthcare, and infrastructure.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
资源分配	resource allocation
收入分配	income distribution
合理分配	reasonable allocation
分配任务	to assign tasks
分配机制	distribution mechanism
按需分配	distribution according to need

Usage Notes

分配 is frequently used in economics (收入分配, income distribution), management (任务分配, task assignment), and policy discussions. In the planned-economy era of China, 分配 also referred to the state assignment of jobs to graduates -- this usage (被分配到, assigned to a job) is still understood but less common today.

分配 differs from 分发 (to hand out/distribute physically) in that 分配 implies a systematic plan or principle behind the allocation, while 分发 refers to the physical act of handing things out. Also compare with 分享 (to share), which implies voluntary sharing rather than systematic allocation.

Memory Hook

分 means "to divide" and 配 means "to match/pair" -- 分配 is dividing things up and matching each piece to the right recipient, a purposeful assignment rather than random scattering.