函 (hán) — envelope; (formal) letter, correspondence
Definition
A formal written word for 'letter' or 'correspondence', used in official or business writing. Compare 信, the everyday word for mail — 函 sounds more formal and is almost never used in casual speech.
noun
envelope(formal) lettercorrespondence
Measure word · 封
Easily confused
Examples
- 函。Qǐng jiāng zhè fèn hán jiàn guī dàng.Please file this correspondence.
- 函。Wǒ shōu dào le yì fēng lái hán.I received an incoming letter.
- 函。Zhè fēng hán jiàn xū yào jiā gài gōng zhāng.This correspondence needs to be stamped with an official seal.
Origin
Pictograph六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíngA drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.
函 comes from an old drawing of an upside-down arrow stored inside a box with one or two handles.
Appears in
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