鸿雁传书
hóng yàn chuán shū
to send letters by wild goose: to keep in touch by letter over a long distance
Character by character
鸿hóng
great goose
great goose
雁yàn
wild goose
wild goose
传chuán
carry
carry
书shū
letter
letter
Example
古人只能鸿雁传书，一封信要走几个月；如今一条微信几秒钟就到了。
People long ago could only send letters “by wild goose”, and a letter took months; now a WeChat message arrives in seconds.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
From the story of 苏武 in the 《汉书》: to free the envoy held by the Xiongnu, a Han envoy told their ruler that the emperor had shot a goose with a letter from Su Wu tied to its leg. Ever since, 鸿雁 and 雁书 have stood for letters, and the phrase is used of long-distance friendships and love.
Learn this in Lesson 168 · HSK 7–9: 鄱阳湖的候鸟 (The winter birds of Poyang Lake)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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