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恐吓信 (kǒng hè xìn) — threatening letter; blackmail letter

Definition

noun
threatening letterblackmail letter
Measure word · 封

Examples

  • 恐吓信。
    Tā shōu dào le yì fēng kǒng hè xìn.
    He received a threatening letter.
  • 恐吓信。
    Jǐng fāng zhèng zài diào chá nà fēng kǒng hè xìn de lái yuán.
    The police are investigating the source of that threatening letter.
  • 恐吓信。
    Xiě kǒng hè xìn de rén yǐ jīng bèi zhuā le.
    The person who wrote the blackmail letter has already been caught.

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.

恐吓threaten
恐kǒngfear吓xiàscare
联合Coordinate
信xìnletter

恐 (fear) and 吓 (scare) combine to mean threaten, then 信 (letter) names a threatening 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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢀜
𢀜𢀜恐kǒng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

恐 is written with 心 (heart). The older form pairs 心 with 𢀜; the modern form can be read as 巩 above 心.

Open 恐 →

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
下
下xià吓hè
Same sound today

吓 is built from 口 (mouth) and 下, which gives the sound; the mouth part marks a meaning connected with the mouth.

Open 吓 →

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.

Open 信 →
Appears in
Mail & MessagingCrime & Police

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