邮编 (yóu biān) — postal code, zip code | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

邮编 (yóubiān) is short for 邮政编码, the digits used in a mailing address. It's a concrete noun (the code itself), unlike 邮局 (the post office) or 邮政 (the postal service system).

noun

postal codezip code

Examples

邮编。
Qǐng gào sù wǒ nǐ de yóu biān.
Please tell me your postal code.
，邮编。
Wǎng shàng gòu wù shí, nǐ xū yào tián xiě zhǔn què de yóu biān.
When shopping online, you need to fill in the correct zip code.
，邮编。
Jì xìn dào guó wài shí, yóu biān fēi cháng zhòng yào.
When sending mail abroad, the postal code is very important.

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 refers to postal matters and 编 to a code, so the meaning is postal code.

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.

垂垂chuífar, remote
邑邑yìcity

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

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 編; 编 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìthread

Sound part声符shēngfú

扁

扁biǎn編biān

Same sound today

The traditional form 編 pairs 糸 (thread), for knitting a book together, with 扁 as the sound part; the simplified 编 is only a shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Mail & Messaging

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