封信 (fēng xìn) — to seal a letter | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

封信 is a verb meaning 'to seal a letter' (putting it in an envelope and closing it). The action applies to the letter itself, not sending or mailing it.

verb

to seal a letter

Examples

封信。
Wǒ fēng xìn zhī qián jiǎn chá le dì zhǐ.
I checked the address before sealing the letter.
封信。
Qǐng bāng wǒ fēng xìn.
Please help me seal the letter.
封信。
Wǒ fēng le yì fēng xìn gěi tā.
I sealed a letter and gave it to her.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

封 means seal and 信 means letter, giving the act of sealing a letter.

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

土土tǔearth

寸寸cùnhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

丰

丰fēng封fēng

Same sound today

The shape 封 is 丰 plus 土 (earth) plus 寸 (hand); 丰 was originally drawn as a tree seedling.

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.

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