邮箱
yoú xiāng · HSK 3
mailbox
📮📦 邮 (mail) + 箱 (box) = mailbox
邮 means postal/mail (the 阝on the right hints at a place/post). 箱 means box or case (bamboo radical 竹 on top, since old boxes were woven). Together: mail-box.
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.
箱 — bamboo radical 竹 + 相 (xiāng) phonetic
A semantic-phonetic compound. The bamboo radical 竹 on top signals the original meaning: a box or chest woven from bamboo or made of wood. The component 相 below supplies the sound 'xiāng'. Over time the meaning broadened from bamboo containers to boxes and cases of any material.