Definitions
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" originally depicted a quiver or an arrow case, a meaning derived from its early pictorial form which represented a container holding arrows. Its traditional form, which remains unchanged in modern usage, is structurally composed of a top element resembling a lid or cover over a receptacle and a bottom element suggesting enclosed contents. From its core concept of a protective case, the meaning expanded to denote any container or envelope, leading to its common modern use for "letter" or "correspondence" as something mailed within an envelope. In a more abstract application, it was adopted in mathematics to translate the concept of a "function", conceptualized as a rule that maps or contains inputs to produce outputs.
Etymology Hide
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。