verb HSK 3
xìn
to mail a letter · to send a letter · to post a letter

Meaning

寄信 means to mail or send a letter through the postal system. It combines 寄 (to send/mail) with 信 (letter). This is a common, everyday verb phrase used when discussing correspondence.

Usage

Used in everyday conversation when talking about sending physical letters through the mail. The verb 寄 is often used alone when the context is clear, but 寄信 is the explicit form. More formal than just saying 发 (to send), which is more commonly used for electronic messages today.

Examples

  1. 01
    我明天去邮局寄信
    míngtiān yóu xìn.
    I'm going to the post office tomorrow to mail a letter.
  2. 02
    他给父母寄信报平安。
    gěi fùmǔ xìn bào píng'ān.
    He sent a letter to his parents to let them know he was safe.

Characters

Measure words

  • fēng寄一封信

Common collocations

  • 寄信
    xìn gěi
    to send a letter to
  • 去邮局寄信
    yóu xìn
    to go to the post office to mail a letter
  • 寄挂号信
    guà hào xìn
    to send a registered letter

Antonyms

Origin

寄 originally meant to lodge or entrust something to someone, which naturally extended to sending items through the postal system. 信 means letter or correspondence.

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