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邮箱 (yóu xiāng) — email inbox, email address; mailbox (for physical mail)

Definition

邮箱 is the container or address itself — your 邮箱 can hold 邮件 (the messages). 邮局 is the physical place you go to send mail.

noun
email inboxemail addressmailbox (for physical mail)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 邮箱。
    Qǐng bǎ nǐ de wén jiàn fā dào wǒ de yóu xiāng.
    Please send your file to my email.
  • 邮箱。
    Wǒ zài mén kǒu fàng le yí gè xīn yóu xiāng.
    I put a new mailbox at the door.
  • 邮箱？
    Nǐ měi tiān jiǎn chá yóu xiāng ma?
    Do you check your email every day?

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.

邮yóumail
箱xiāngbox

邮 names the mail use, 箱 names the box.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 郵; 邮 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 郵 pairs 垂 (“far, remote”) with 邑 (“city”) to show a relay station; the simplified 邮 is a later shorthand.

Open 邮 →

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
𥫗Written in full as竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
相
相xiāng箱xiāng
Same sound today

箱 combines 竹, showing bamboo, with 相 as a sound part, to write a bamboo box or case.

Open 箱 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3Mail & MessagingComputers & Internet

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