Chinese word

短信

Pronunciation

Pinyinduǎn xìn

Meaning

  • nountext message

Example

我刚收到一条短信。wǒ gāng shōu dào yì tiáo duǎn xìn

I just received a text message.

Illustration for 短信 (text message)

More examples

我刚给他发了短信，他还没回复。wǒ gāng gěi tā fā le duǎn xìn tā hái méi huí fù

I just sent him a text message, but he hasn't replied yet.

Core concept

A small digital note sent from one phone to another for everyday contact.

Common phrases

  • 发短信fā duǎn xìn

    send a text message

  • 收短信shōu duǎn xìn

    receive a text message

  • 写短信xiě duǎn xìn

    write a text message

Similar words

消息xiāo xī: News or information about an event or situation, passed on to someone.
邮件yóu jiàn: A written message sent to someone, especially an email sent electronically.

Definition in Chinese

通过手机或短信服务发送的简短文字消息，长度通常较短，用于日常通知或问候。tōng guò shǒu jī huò duǎn xìn fú wù fā sòng de jián duǎn wén zì xiāo xī cháng dù tōng cháng jiào duǎn yòng yú rì cháng tōng zhī huò wèn hòu

Word origin

The word is formed from 短 (duǎn, "short") and 信 (xìn, "letter or message"), highlighting a brief modern form of written communication.

Usage tips

  • English uses text as both a noun and a verb, but this Chinese noun refers to the message itself rather than the act of sending it.

Other meanings

  • short messagenoun

Related words

  • 手机短信shǒu jī duǎn xìnmobile text messagenoun
  • 短信服务duǎn xìn fú wùtext messaging servicenoun

Word lists with this word