电子邮件
diàn zǐ yoú jiàn · HSK 3
📧 电子 = electronic + 邮件 = mail (postal items)
电子 (electronic) + 邮件 (postal mail) = email. 邮 is the post office radical, 件 is a counter for items or documents. Literally electronic postal mail.
电 — rain 雨 + lightning tail 电
Originally a pictograph of lightning streaking from a cloud, written 電 with the rain radical 雨 on top. The bottom 电 depicts the zigzag flash itself. The simplified form 电 drops 雨 and keeps just the lightning shape. Meaning extended from 'lightning' to 'electricity' in modern usage.
子 — pictograph of a baby/child with arms out
子 began as a pictograph of a swaddled infant with a large head and outstretched arms, originally meaning 'baby' or 'child.' From there it broadened to 'son,' 'offspring,' and a respectful suffix for masters like 孔子 (Confucius). It also became one of the twelve earthly branches.
邮 — 由 (cause) + 阝 (city radical 邑)
邮 means 'post, mail.' The right-side 阝 derives from 邑 (city/settlement), pointing to relay stations along roads. The simplified form pairs this with 由, which here mainly carries the sound. Historically 邮 referred to the courier posts where messengers changed horses to relay official messages.
件 — person radical 亻 + ox 牛
件 combines the person radical 亻 with 牛 (ox). Originally it referred to dividing or counting items, with oxen being valuable units of property to count. It came to mean a measurable item or matter, and today serves as a measure word for things, documents, and affairs.