Han character 宣

The oldest records connect 宣 with a ceremonial hall.

Its earliest surviving forms appear on late Shang oracle bones, divination records written on bone. Later bronze inscriptions use 宣 for palace and ceremonial spaces. In the Zhou period, 宣榭 was a temple hall associated with royal victory proclamations and ceremonies honoring successful officials.

That links the hall sense with public proclamation but does not prove every step in the later shift. Japanese 宣言 and 宣伝 retain related public meanings. Chinese, Japanese, or Korean locale conventions can draw 宣 differently without changing the character.