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邮递员 (yóu dì yuán) — mailman, mail carrier, postman

Definition

noun
mailmanmail carrierpostman
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 邮递员。
    yóu dì yuán Měi tiān zǎo shàng bā diǎn kāi shǐ sòng xìn.
    The mailman starts delivering letters at eight every morning.
  • 邮递员。
    Nà wèi yóu dì yuán rèn shi xiǎo qū lǐ de měi yí gè rén.
    That mailman knows everyone in the neighborhood.
  • 邮递员。
    yóu dì yuán Bǎ bāo guǒ fàng zài mén kǒu le.
    The mailman put the package at the door.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

邮递mail delivery
邮yóumail递dìdeliver
偏正Modifier + head
员yuánperson

邮 means mail and 递 means deliver, while 员 denotes the person doing that work.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
弟
弟dì递dì
Same sound today

递 is built from 辶 (written in full as 辵) and 弟; 辶 is the meaning part and 弟 is the sound part.

Open 递 →

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 員; 员 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鼎鼎dǐngding
Sound part声符shēngfú
〇
〇líng員yuán
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 員, 〇 supplies the sound and 鼎 supplies the meaning; the simplified 员 is a shortened form.

Open 员 →
Appears in
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