HSK · Level 87
45 words
Chinese word
贺电
Pronunciation
Pinyinhè diàn
Meaning
- nouncongratulatory telegram
Example
结婚那天，他收到了亲友的贺电。jié hūn nà tiān tā shōu dào le qīn yǒu de hè diàn
On the day of his wedding, he received congratulatory telegrams from relatives and friends.
More examples
公司成立时，许多客户和合作伙伴发来了贺电。gōng sī chéng lì shí xǔ duō kè hù hé hé zuò huǒ bàn fā lái le hè diàn
When the company was founded, many customers and business partners sent congratulatory telegrams.
Core concept
A celebratory message that travels through a telecommunication channel instead of arriving as a spoken greeting.
Common phrases
发来贺电fā lái hè diàn
send congratulatory telegrams
发出贺电fā chū hè diàn
send out congratulatory telegrams
收到贺电shōu dào hè diàn
receive congratulatory telegrams
Similar words
贺卡hè kǎ: A paper card given to someone with congratulatory words or pictures.
贺信hè xìn: A letter with congratulations that is sent through the mail.
贺词hè cí: A short speech of congratulations given at a ceremony or banquet.
电报diàn bào: A short message sent by telegraph to someone far away.
Definition in Chinese
以电报或其他电讯方式发送的表示祝贺的消息。yǐ diàn bào huò qí tā diàn xùn fāng shì fā sòng de biǎo shì zhù hè de xiāo xī
Word origin
贺 (hè, "congratulate") + 电 (diàn, "telegram") combines the act of congratulating with the older communication medium used to send the message.
Usage tips
- In everyday Chinese, this noun has a formal register and often follows verbs such as 发 (fā, "send") or 收到 (shōudào, "receive"), rather than referring to a casual spoken greeting.