信箱 (xìn xiāng) — mailbox; letter box; post-office box | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

mailboxletter boxpost-office box

Measure word · 个

Examples

信箱。
Wǒ bǎ xìn fàng jìn xìn xiāng lǐ le.
I put the letter into the mailbox.
信箱。
Qǐng bǎ yào shi chā jìn xìn xiāng de suǒ kǒng lǐ.
Please insert the key into the lock of the mailbox.
信箱。
Měi tiān zǎo chén yóu dì yuán dōu huì dǎ kāi xìn xiāng.
Every morning the postman opens the mailbox.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

信 means letter and 箱 means box, so together they name a mailbox.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánwords

Sound part声符shēngfú

人

人rén信xìn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

信 pairs 人 as the sound part with 言 (words) as the meaning part.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

𥫗相箱

Meaning part形符xíngfú

𥫗Written in full as竹zhúbamboo

Sound part声符shēngfú

相

相xiāng箱xiāng

Same sound today

箱 combines 竹, showing bamboo, with 相 as a sound part, to write a bamboo box or case.

Appears in

Mail & Messaging

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