电讯 (diàn xùn) — telecommunications; telecom

Definition

Literary or industry-style word for 'telecommunications,' common in compound terms like 电讯公司 or 电讯系统. 电信 is the more general, everyday term.

noun

telecommunicationstelecom

电讯。
Xiàn dài diàn xùn xì tǒng ràng quán shì jiè de rén kě yǐ jí shí gōu tōng.
Modern telecommunications systems allow people all over the world to communicate instantly.
电讯。
Tā zài zhè jiā diàn xùn gōng sī zuò jì shù zhǔ guǎn.
He works as a technical director at this telecom company.
电讯。
diàn xùn De fā zhǎn gǎi biàn le rén men de shēng huó fāng shì.
The development of telecommunications has changed people's lifestyles.

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.

电diànelectronic

讯xùnnews; message

“电” indicates electronic transmission, and “讯” is news or a message, so the word means telecommunications.

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 電; 电 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

雨雨yǔrain

Sound part声符shēngfú

申

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

For the traditional form 電, 雨 (rain) sits with 申, read shēn and meaning lightning.

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 訊; 讯 is its simplified writing.

言卂訊

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

卂

卂xùn訊xùn

Same sound today

The traditional form 訊 combines 言 (words) with 卂 as a sound part; the simplified 讯 is a shorthand.

Appears in