letters; correspondence (literary)
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
letters; correspondence (literary metaphor from legends of fish and wild geese carrying messages)
literaryA literary allusion to ancient legends where fish were believed to carry letters in their bellies and migrating wild geese were said to deliver messages on their feet. Used in formal or classical-style writing to refer to epistolary exchange.
Gǔ古
rén人
cháng常
yǐ以
yú鱼
yàn雁
bǐ比
yù喻
shū书
xìn信
。
Ancient people often used 'fish and wild geese' as a metaphor for letters.
Tā他
yǔ与
yuǎn远
fāng方
de的
péng朋
yǒu友
pín频
tōng通
yú鱼
yàn雁
。
He frequently exchanges letters with friends who are far away.
Show 2 more examplesShow fewer examples
Liǎng两
dì地
zhī之
jiān间
yú鱼
yàn雁
wǎng往
huán还
，
qíng情
yì谊
bù不
duàn断
。
Letters go back and forth between the two places, keeping the friendship alive.
Rú如
jīn今
suī虽
chù处
xìn信
xī息
shí时
dài代
，
réng仍
yǒu有
rén人
huái怀
niàn念
yú鱼
yàn雁
chuán传
shū书
de的
làng浪
màn漫
。
Even in the information age, some people still miss the romance of sending letters via 'fish and wild geese'.