📖 Meaning
A general term for letters and correspondence. It draws on two classical Chinese metaphors—fish carrying letters and wild geese delivering messages—both traditional symbols of written communication between separated people.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom appears in Ming dynasty song collections, notably Wu Sao (《吴骚》) in the piece 'Bu Bu Jiao · Gui Yuan' and Nan Gong Ci Ji (《南宫词纪》) in 'Jiang Du Chun · Si Shi Yuan Bie.' It fuses two ancient allusions: fish conveying silk letters (鱼传尺素), from a Han dynasty poem, and wild geese carrying messages on their feet (雁足传书), associated with the Han envoy Su Wu. Both imagery traditions symbolized the exchange of letters, and the Ming poets combined them to express the longing of separated lovers unable to communicate.
💡 Example Usage
自从丈夫远行之后，她日夜盼望鱼封雁帖，却始终没有收到任何信件。
Ever since her husband departed on a long journey, she longed day and night for letters, yet never received any correspondence.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鱼封雁帖
- Pinyin: yú fēng yàn tiē
- Literal Translation: fish, seal, wild goose, letter
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4