来电

• Pinyin: lái diàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 来 = come; 电 = 雨 (rain) + 电 — electricity/lightning

Meaning

Incoming call; to have an incoming call; to feel a spark (romantic).

Has three common uses: (1) an incoming phone call, (2) the restoration of power after an outage, (3) colloquially, feeling a romantic spark or chemistry with someone. Context determines meaning.

Examples

1. 手机显示有三个未接来电。 The phone shows three missed calls.
2. 停电两个小时后终于来电了。 The power finally came back on after two hours.
3. 他们第一次见面就很来电。 They felt a spark the first time they met.

Usage Guide

Context: phone, electricity, romance

Tone: varied

Do Say

• 你有一个来电。(You have an incoming call.)
• 我们俩挺来电的。(We two really click/have chemistry.)

Don't Say

• 在正式场合用来电表示浪漫感觉。(The romantic 'chemistry' usage of 来电 is colloquial — avoid in formal contexts)

Origin & History

Compound of 来 (come) + 电 (electricity/phone). Original meaning was 'electricity arrives,' extended to phone calls and romantic chemistry.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal