邮递
yóu​dì

mail

邮 yóu postal Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. ⻏ represents the meaning and 由 represents the sound. Simplified form of 郵.

Components

由
由 Sound component
yóu cause
⻏
⻏ Meaning component
yì city

阝 is a component form of 邑.

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhanglɯw

說文解字

《說文》：“邮，左馮翊高陵。从邑，由聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

递 dì hand over Simplified

Phonosemantic compound. 辶 represents the meaning and 弟 represents the sound. Simplified form of 遞.

Components

辶
辶 Meaning component
chuò walk

辶 is a component form of 辵.

弟
弟 Sound component
dì, di younger brother

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Regular Modern

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical images
Academia Sinica

郵 yóu mail Traditional

Depicts delivering between cities (⻏) and borderlands (垂).

Components

垂
垂 Meaning component
chuí droop

Based on the original "borderlands" meaning of 垂.

⻏
⻏ Meaning component
yì city

⻏ is a component form of 邑.

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangɢʷɯ

說文解字

境上行書舍。从邑、垂。垂，邊也。

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

遞 dì hand over Traditional

Components

辶
辶 Meaning component
chuò walk

walk

虒
虒 Sound component
sī, xī, tí an amphibious beast resembling a tiger with one horn

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartdejXlˤeʔalternate
Zhengzhangl'eːʔ
l'eːs
Unicodedhěi
dhèi

說文解字

更易也。从辵虒聲。

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-SagartZhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)