挂号信 (guà hào xìn) — registered letter; registered mail

Definition

noun

registered letterregistered mail

Measure word · 封

Examples

挂号信。
Wǒ yào jì yì fēng guà hào xìn dào běi jīng.
I need to send a registered letter to Beijing.
挂号信，。
guà hào xìn Bǐ pǔ tōng xìn jiàn gèng ān quán, dàn yóu fèi yě gèng gāo.
Registered mail is safer than regular letters, but the postage is also higher.
挂号信。
Tā zuó tiān shōu dào le wǒ jì de guà hào xìn.
He received the registered letter I sent yesterday.

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.

挂号register

挂guàhang号hàonumber

动宾Verb + object

信xìnletter

“挂” hang and “号” number mark a “信” letter as registered.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 掛; 挂 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

⺘Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

卦

卦guà掛guà

Same sound today

In the traditional form 掛, the hand part ⺘ and the sound part 卦 show hooking or hanging something with the hand; this form was originally a popular form of 挂.

Open 挂 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

口丂号