鱼传尺素 — “To send a letter”

鱼传尺素 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to send a letter”. To deliver a message, often implying a love letter or a message from a distant loved one. Literally, “Fish delivers a foot-long silk letter”.

Frequency

鱼传尺素 Pronunciation and Pinyin

鱼传尺素 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
鱼	yú	8	aquatic vertebrate with gills and fins
传	chuán	6	transmit, spread, biography
尺	chǐ	4	traditional Chinese foot unit
素	sù	10	plain, simple, unadorned

Example Sentence with 鱼传尺素

虽然分隔两地，他们依然通过鱼传尺素，保持着彼此的思念与牵挂。

Although separated by distance, they still maintained their mutual longing and concern by sending letters, as if fish were delivering the messages.

Origin and Story of 鱼传尺素

The idiom '鱼传尺素' (yú chuán chǐ sù) originates from the Han Dynasty folk song 'Drinking Horse at the Great Wall Spring' (饮马长城窟行). This poignant poem describes a wife's deep longing for her husband who is far away. In the poem, a guest arrives from a distant land and presents her with a pair of carp (双鲤鱼). The wife calls her child to cook the fish. To her surprise, upon opening one of the fish, she discovers a foot-long silk scroll (尺素书) hidden inside.

She kneels and eagerly reads the letter, which conveys her distant husband's thoughts and feelings. This literary allusion became a metaphor for sending letters, especially those expressing love or yearning between separated individuals.