驿

noun #63,633

Meanings

  1. 1 post horse
  2. 2 relay station
  3. 3 courier stop

Examples

Gǔdài gōngwén kào yì mǎ yí zhànzhàn chuándì.
In ancient times, official messages were carried by post horses from one relay station to the next.
Yì wài duànqiáo biān, méihuā jìmò de kāi zhe.
Beside a broken bridge outside the post station, a plum blossom blooms alone.

Tips

history
驿 was the relay station system that kept the empire connected: fresh 驿马 (post horses) waited at each 驿站 so couriers could change mounts and rush official documents across the country.

Components

radical
horse
The horse radical, picturing a horse. It is the meaning core: a 驿 centers on the relay horses that sped messages between official stations.
phonetic
(contracted phonetic from 睪)
The right side is a simplified, contracted form of , the original phonetic. The same simplified piece appears in the related characters (yì) and (zé).

Stroke Order

驿