noun HSK 4
Traditional 郵箱
yóu xiāng
mailbox · email address · post office box

Meaning

邮箱 originally referred to a physical mailbox or post office box where letters are delivered. In modern usage, it has expanded to mean an email address or email inbox, which is now the most common meaning in everyday conversation.

Usage

This is the standard term for email address in Mainland China. When asking for someone's contact information, people commonly say 你的邮箱是什么? (What's your email?). It's used in both formal and informal contexts. The physical mailbox meaning still exists but is less common in daily speech.

Examples

  1. 01
    请把文件发到我的邮箱
    Qǐng wén jiàn dào de yóu xiāng.
    Please send the document to my email.
  2. 02
    你能给我留一下你的邮箱吗?
    néng gěi liú xià de yóu xiāng ma?
    Could you leave me your email address?

Characters

Measure words

  • 一个邮箱

Common collocations

  • 邮箱地址
    yóu xiāng zhǐ
    email address
  • 邮箱
    yóu xiāng
    to send to email
  • 邮箱
    chá yóu xiāng
    to check email
  • 工作邮箱
    gōng zuò yóu xiāng
    work email

Origin

Combines 邮 (mail/post) with 箱 (box). Originally a literal compound meaning a box for mail. The term naturally extended to email addresses as the digital equivalent of a mailbox.

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