配

• Matching and Suitability: To pair or find a counterpart; to be equal in rank, status, or temperament.
• Allocation and Distribution: The apportioning of shares or resources; the assignment of a specific rank, role, or position.
• Technical Blending: Compounding ingredients in precise proportions for pharmacological, alchemical, or ritual purposes.

• Transitive Verb: To match X with Y; to allocate/assign X to Y.
• Stative Verb / Adjective: To be a suitable match; to be equal in rank or quality.
• Noun: A counterpart or matching piece (more frequent in later texts).

• vs. 對 (duì): While both involve pairs, 對 typically emphasizes symmetry, opposition, or facing one another, whereas 配 emphasizes compatibility and suitability.
• vs. 合 (hé): 合 focuses on the act of joining or fitting together; 配 focuses on the selection of a suitable partner or component based on an external standard.

Phonetic overlap exists with 佩 (also pèi), meaning to wear an ornament at the waist; these are occasionally conflated in early manuscripts.

In contexts involving jewelry or dress, verify whether the text refers to the act of wearing (佩) or the matching and suitability of the items (配).