書信

See also: 书信

Chinese

		book; letter	letter; true; to believe letter; true; to believe; sign; evidence
trad. (書信)		書	信
simp. (书信)		书	信

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): shūxìn

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄨ ㄒㄧㄣˋ

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): фущин (fuxin, I-III)

• Cantonese (Jyutping): syu¹ seon³
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): sû-sin

  (Meixian, Guangdong): su¹ xin⁴

• Eastern Min (BUC): cṳ̆-séng
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): su-sìn / chir-sìn / si-sìn
• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹sy-shin

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shūxìn
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄨ ㄒㄧㄣˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shusìn
    • Wade–Giles: shu¹-hsin⁴
    • Yale: shū-syìn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shushinn
    • Palladius: шусинь (šusinʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂu⁵⁵ ɕin⁵¹/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: фущин (fuxin, I-III)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fou²⁴ ɕiŋ⁴⁴/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: syu¹ seon³
    • Yale: syū seun
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sy¹ soen³
    • Guangdong Romanization: xu¹ sên³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /syː⁵⁵ sɵn³³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: sû-sin
    • Hakka Romanization System: su^ˊ xin
    • Hagfa Pinyim: su¹ xin⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /su²⁴⁻¹¹ sin⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: su¹ xin⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /su⁴⁴⁻³⁵ sin⁵³/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: cṳ̆-séng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sy⁵⁵⁻⁵³ ^(s-)lɛiŋ²¹³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: su-sìn
    • Tâi-lô: su-sìn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: susixn
    • IPA (Taipei): /su⁴⁴⁻³³ sin¹¹/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /su⁴⁴⁻³³ sin²¹/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /su⁴⁴⁻²² sin²¹/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chir-sìn
    • Tâi-lô: tsir-sìn
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sɯ³³ sin⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: si-sìn
    • Tâi-lô: si-sìn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sisixn
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /si⁴⁴⁻²² sin²¹/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹sy-shin
    • MiniDict: sy^平 shin
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹sr-xin
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /sz̩⁵⁵ ɕin²¹/

---

• Middle Chinese: syo sinH

Rime
Character	書	信
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	書 (26)	心 (16)
Final (韻)	魚 (22)	眞 (43)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	III
Fanqie	傷魚切	息晉切
Baxter	syo	sinH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɕɨʌ/	/siɪnH/
Pan Wuyun	/ɕiɔ/	/sinH/
Shao Rongfen	/ɕiɔ/	/sjenH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɕɨə̆/	/sinH/
Li Rong	/ɕiɔ/	/siĕnH/
Wang Li	/ɕĭo/	/sĭĕnH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ɕi̯wo/	/si̯ĕnH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shū	xìn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	syu1	san3

Noun

書信

1. (formal) letter; epistle; written message

   保羅書信／保罗书信  ―  Bǎoluó shūxìn  ―  Pauline epistles

2. (figuratively) messenger

Synonyms

• (letter):

edit

• 信
• 信件 (xìnjiàn)
• 信函 (xìnhán)
• 信札 (xìnzhá)
• 八行 (bāháng) (literary)
• 八行書／八行书 (bāhángshū) (literary)
• 函件 (hánjiàn)
• 手書／手书 (shǒushū) (literary)
• 手簡／手简 (shǒujiǎn) (literary)
• 書／书 (shū) (literary, or in compounds)
• 書函／书函 (shūhán)
• 書札／书札 (shūzhá) (literary)
• 書牘／书牍 (shūdú) (literary)
• 書簡／书简 (shūjiǎn) (literary)
• 筆札／笔札 (bǐzhá) (literary, figurative)
• 簡／简 (jiǎn) (literary, or in compounds)
• 鴻／鸿 (hóng) (literary, figurative)

 

Dialectal synonyms of 信 (“letter”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		書, 函, 書札, 書函, 便紙 Korea
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		信, 函, 書信, 信件, 信函, 信札, 函件, 書函, 書簡, 書牘, 書札
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	信
	Taiwan	信
	Malaysia	信
	Singapore	信
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	信
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	信
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	信
	Wanrong	信
	Xi'an	信
	Xining	信
	Xuzhou	信
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	信
	Lanzhou	信
	Ürümqi	信
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	信
	Wuhan	信
	Guiyang	信
	Guilin	信
	Liuzhou	信
	Dagudi (Maliba)	信
	Reshuitang (Longling)	信
	Mae Salong (Lancang)	信
	Mae Sai (Tengchong)	信
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	信
	Yangzhou	信
	Hefei	信
Cantonese	Guangzhou	信
	Hong Kong	信
	Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou)	信
	Macau	信
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	信
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	信
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	信
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	信
	Foshan	信
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	信
	Foshan (Shunde)	信
	Foshan (Sanshui)	信
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	信
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	信
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	信
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	信
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	信
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	信
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	信
	Taishan	信
	Kaiping (Chikan)	信
	Enping (Niujiang)	信
	Heshan (Yayao)	信
	Dongguan	信
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	信
	Shaoguan	信
	Yunfu	信
	Yangjiang	信
	Xinyi	信
	Lianjiang	信
	Beihai	信
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	信
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	信
	Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	信
	Singapore (Guangfu)	信
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	信
	Móng Cái	信
Gan	Nanchang	信
	Lichuan	信
	Pingxiang	信
Hakka	Meixian	信
	Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)	信
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	信
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	信
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	信
	Wuhua (Shuizhai)	信
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	信
	Wuhua (Changbu)	信
	Wuhua (Mianyang)	信
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	信
	Luhe	信仔
	Yudu	信
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	信仔
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	信仔
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	信仔
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	信
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	信仔, 信
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	批, 信
	Hong Kong	信
Huizhou	Jixi	信
Jin	Taiyuan	信
	Xinzhou	信
Northern Min	Jian'ou	信
	Songxi	信
	Jianyang	信
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	批
	Gutian	批
	Pingnan	批, 信
	Ningde	批
	Zhouning	批
	Fuding	信
	Matsu	批
	Singapore (Fuqing)	批
Southern Min	Xiamen	批, 批信
	Quanzhou	批, 批信
	Yongchun	批
	Zhangzhou	批, 批信
	Zhao'an	批
	Taipei	批
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	批
	Kaohsiung	批
	Yilan	批
	Changhua (Lukang)	批
	Taichung	批
	Taichung (Wuqi)	批
	Tainan	批, 批信
	Taitung	批
	Hsinchu	批
	Kinmen	批
	Penghu (Magong)	批
	Penang (Hokkien)	批
	Singapore (Hokkien)	批, 批信
	Manila (Hokkien)	批
	Longyan	信
	Datian	信
	Chaozhou	信, 批 international incoming letters
	Bangkok (Teochew)	信, 家批 dated
	Singapore (Teochew)	信, 批
	Batam (Teochew)	信
	Leizhou	信
	Wenchang	信 domestic, 批 international
	Haikou	信
	Singapore (Hainanese)	信, 批
Puxian Min	Putian	批
	Xianyou	批
	Fuding (Aoyao)	批
Central Min	Yong'an	信
	Sanming (Shaxian)	信
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	信
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	信
Wu	Shanghai	信
	Shanghai (Chongming)	信
	Suzhou	信
	Danyang	信
	Ningbo	信
	Wenzhou	信
	Jinhua	信
Xiang	Changsha	信
	Loudi	信
	Shuangfeng	信

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (書信):

• → Japanese: 書信(しょしん) (shoshin)
• → Korean: 서신(書信) (seosin)
• → Vietnamese: thư tín (書信)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
書	信
しょ Grade: 2	しん Grade: 4
on'yomi

Noun

書(しょ)信(しん) • (shoshin) 

1. a letter

   Synonyms: 雁書 (gansho), 雁信 (ganshin), 書簡 (shokan), 書札 (shosatsu), 書状 (shojō), 信書 (shinsho), 手簡 (shukan), 尺牘 (sekitoku), 手紙 (tegami)