电报

• Pinyin: diàn bào
• Hanzi breakdown: 电 = 雨 + 申 (electricity, lightning); 报 = 幸 + 卩 (to report, dispatch, inform)

Meaning

Telegram; telegraph message. A message transmitted via electrical signals, historically sent through wire networks.

The primary long-distance communication technology of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Now largely obsolete but still referenced in historical, literary, and military contexts. 发电报 means 'to send a telegram.' Used metaphorically in modern Chinese for extremely brief communication.

Examples

1. 战地记者冒着炮火向后方总部发出了一封简短的电报，报告了前线最新的战况进展。 Braving artillery fire, the war correspondent sent a brief telegram to headquarters in the rear, reporting the latest developments at the front.
2. 这封在档案馆中尘封了数十年的电报，记录了两国外交关系破裂前夕的最后一次官方通信。 This telegram, sealed away in the archives for decades, recorded the last official communication on the eve of a breakdown in diplomatic relations between the two countries.
3. 研究近代史的学者需要具备解读电报密码和判读旧式电报体裁的专业能力。 Scholars studying modern history need the specialized ability to decipher telegram codes and interpret older telegram writing styles.

Usage Guide

Context: history, military, journalism, archival research

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 根据现存的外交档案，两国政府曾在危机期间通过秘密电报渠道进行了数次非公开的紧急磋商。(According to extant diplomatic archives, the governments of the two countries conducted several non-public emergency consultations through secret telegram channels during the crisis.)
• 一战期间，各国军事指挥部对电报通信的依赖程度极高，任何通信中断都可能对战场局势产生致命影响。(During World War I, military commands of all nations were heavily reliant on telegram communications — any interruption could have a fatal impact on the battlefield situation.)

Don't Say

• 用电报发 — slightly redundant; 发电报 is the standard collocation; say 发电报 or 通过电报传达 rather than 用电报发送消息

Origin & History

电 (electricity) + 报 (report, dispatch) — an electrical dispatch; a message sent by electrical means

Cultural Context

Era: Historical

Generation: Older generations

Social background: Universal