电报
diànbào
The Chinese word for telegram is 电报 (diànbào).
电报 refers to a message sent by telegraph. To say you are sending a telegram, use the verb 发 (fā) before the word to form 发电报 (fā diànbào). To say you are receiving a telegram, use the verb 收 (shōu) before the word to form 收电报 (shōu diànbào).
Meaning: message sent by telegraph (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 电 (diàn), meaning 'electricity' and 报 (bào), meaning 'report' or 'news'.
How do you pronounce it?
diànbào
Did you know?
- The character 报 in 电报 can also mean 'to repay' or 'to avenge', creating a linguistic link between delivering news and returning a favor or a blow.
- The character 电 in 电报 was originally a pictograph of a lightning bolt. It represents the sudden, flashing nature of electricity, which mirrored the speed of the telegraph.
- While the characters 电 and 报 mean 'electricity' and 'report', the combined word 电报 is actually a loan translation of the English word 'telegraph'.
Examples in context
- 我们没有收到电报。We haven't received a telegram.Tatoeba #843469 by fucongcong, translation #7767715 by sharris123
- 他一到伦敦就给我发了电报。On his arrival in London, he sent me a telegram.Tatoeba #9130855 by Yorwba, translation #29290 by Dejo
- 当我们发电报的时候，简明扼要是关键，因为是以字计费的。When you send a telegram, brevity is essential because you will be charged for every word.This sentence highlights the importance of brevity when using 电报 due to per-word charging.Tatoeba #502877 by fucongcong, translation #1906 by AlanF_US
- 我们通过电报向他表示诚挚的祝贺。We express our sincere congratulations to him via telegram.
- 最近他们用电子邮件代替了传统的电报方式。Lately, they have replaced the traditional method of sending telegrams with email.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are looking at an old family photo album.
- 梓涵 Zihan这张旧电报是谁写的？Zhè zhāng jiù diànbào shì shéi xiě de?Who wrote this old telegram?
- 浩然 Haoran那是爷爷当年收到的电报。Nà shì yéye dāngnián shōudào de diànbào.That is a telegram my grandfather received back then.
- 梓涵 Zihan现在的年轻人不认识电报了。Xiànzài de niánqīngrén bù rènshi diànbào le.Young people today don't recognize telegrams anymore.
- 浩然 Haoran没错，现在大家都用手机。Méicuò, xiànzài dàjiā dōu yòng shǒujī.That's true, everyone uses mobile phones now.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
