Chinese word

发

Pronunciation

Pinyinfā

Meaning

  • verbhand out

Example

老师把礼物发给学生。lǎo shī bǎ lǐ wù fā gěi xué shēng

The teacher handed out the gifts to the students.

Illustration for 发 (hand out)

More examples

我给朋友发了一张照片。wǒ gěi péng yǒu fā le yì zhāng zhào piān

I sent a photo to my friend.

Core concept

A person releases items or information so that each intended receiver gets a share or a copy.

Common phrases

  • 发邮件fā yóu jiàn

    send an email

  • 发短信fā duǎn xìn

    send a text message

  • 发照片fā zhào piān

    send a photo

Similar words

给gěi: Passes an item or money to someone for them to receive.
送sòng: Takes something to someone or presents it as a gift.
发给fā gěi: Directs an item or piece of information to a specified person.

Definition in Chinese

把某物按顺序或按对象分给别人，常用于发放礼物、文件、邮件等。bǎ mǒu wù àn shùn xù huò àn duì xiàng fēn gěi bié rén cháng yòng yú fā fàng lǐ wù wén jiàn yóu jiàn děng

Word origin

The simplified character 发 (fā, "send out") descends from an older form associated with releasing something outward, which connects sending a message with giving items to people.

Usage tips

  • With messages, Chinese commonly puts the thing being sent directly after the verb, as in an email, a text, or a file.

Other meanings

  • sendverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word