贺电

• Pinyin: hè diàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 贺 = 加 (add) + 贝 (cowrie shell/valuables — to add gifts/congratulations); 电 = 雨 simplified (electricity/telegram)

Meaning

Congratulatory telegram or message. An official message of congratulations sent on the occasion of a significant event, holiday, or achievement.

Historically refers to congratulatory telegrams, but in modern usage extends to any formal congratulatory communiqué, including diplomatic messages between heads of state, party messages marking national events, and institutional congratulations. A formal, official genre of communication with standardised structure and language. Appears frequently in government documents, news reports, and diplomatic correspondence.

Examples

1. 国家主席向友好国家新任总统发出贺电，表达了中方对双边关系发展的美好期许。 The president sent a congratulatory message to the newly inaugurated president of a friendly country, expressing China’s best wishes for the development of bilateral relations.
2. 这家百年企业举办庆典时，收到了来自全国各地商业伙伴和政府机构发来的数百份贺电。 When the century-old company held its celebration, it received hundreds of congratulatory messages from business partners and government agencies across the country.
3. 中央军委向边防部队发出贺电，对官兵们在恶劣条件下坚守岗位的精神给予高度赞扬。 The Central Military Commission sent a congratulatory message to the border defense troops, highly praising the soldiers for holding their posts under harsh conditions.

Usage Guide

Context: diplomacy, government, official communications, ceremonies

Tone: formal

Do Say

• 建党百年之际，各民主党派相继发来贺电，表达对中国共产党历史成就的崇高敬意。(On the centenary of the party's founding, the various democratic parties sent congratulatory messages one after another, expressing the highest respect for the historical achievements of the Communist Party of China.)
• 奥运健儿夺金后，国家体育总局向代表团发去贺电，对运动员的卓越表现深表祝贺。(After the Olympic athletes won gold, the General Administration of Sport sent a congratulatory message to the delegation, expressing warm congratulations for the athletes' outstanding performance.)

Don't Say

• 贺电 in casual contexts or for personal congratulations — use 祝贺 or 恭喜 for informal settings; 贺电 is strictly a formal institutional or diplomatic communication genre

Origin & History

贺 (to congratulate; celebrate) + 电 (electricity; telegram; message — originally shorthand for 电报, telegram)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern era

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal