Definitions
(noun)
envelope; letter; case; container
(verb)
to contain; to hold
Etymology
Pictograph of an arrow inside a quiver. Based on the original meaning "quiver, arrow case". The meaning later shifted to "case", "box", "envelop" and "letter".
About
The character 函 originates from a pictograph depicting an arrow enclosed within a quiver or case, a form which conceptually represented a container designed to hold and protect something within. This core notion of a receptacle or enclosure established its earliest meanings, referring to a box, sheath, or case. Over time, its application extended metaphorically from physical containment to the abstract act of containing, and by a natural progression associated with items placed within such containers, it acquired the common meaning of a letter or correspondence. The traditional form of the character, 函, visually retains the abstracted shape of a quiver, with the component 凵 often interpreted as symbolizing a receptacle, thereby maintaining a structural link to its original etymological foundation.
Example Sentences Hide
我收到一封信函。
他寄出了一封公函。
公司需要回复这封函。
我们通过函授学习课程。
图书馆里有许多历史函件。
请将申请函发送至办公室。
由于时间紧迫，我们必须尽快处理这些公函。
外交部就此事向大使馆发出了正式照会函。