椷 (jiān) - Letter, missive & container, box

椷Tone 1

jiān ｜ 13 strokes ｜ radical:

嘉健

椷 · jiān

Letter, missive;

container, box;

to contain;

variant of 缄 meaning to seal.

Letter, missivecontainer, boxto contain

Usage highlights

LetterSealed letterWooden boxCorrespondenceTo sealLetter case

Synonyms

  • 缄— To seal; letter (more common variant)
  • 信— Letter (more common modern term)
  • 函— Letter; envelope

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He wrote a letter (椷札) to his friend.
  • The wooden box (椷盒) contained precious items.
  • Please seal the document (椷封).
  • Ancient letters were often called 椷书.

Collocations

  • Letter(椷札)
  • Sealed letter(椷封)
  • Wooden box(椷盒)
  • Correspondence(椷书)
  • To seal(椷缄)
  • Letter case(椷筒)

Idioms

  • Sealed lips and silent words(椷口结舌)
  • Exchanging letters and documents(椷札往来)
  • Sealed with utmost care(密椷严封)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally referred to wooden containers or boxes for storing documents.
  • Later extended to mean letters and correspondence, similar to 缄.
  • Used in classical Chinese literature for formal written communications.

FAQ