Mnemonic
On a path beneath a steep cliff, two messengers perform a relay — one tosses a towel-wrapped scroll to the other. Each runner sprints along the path to the next cliff-side station, wrapping the message in the same towel before passing it on again.
Additional thoughts
Picture ancient postal runners at cliff-side stations along a winding path, always two at each handoff, using a towel-wrapped bundle as the baton in this relay chain.Quick recall
Two runners on a path by a cliff pass a towel-wrapped scroll in a relay.Details
The keyword for 逓 is relay. This kanji conveys the idea of passing something along in succession, much like a relay where an item or message is handed from one person to the next in a continuous chain. It was historically associated with the postal relay system in East Asia, where horses and messengers would carry communications from station to station across long distances. The character thus embodies the concept of sequential transmission and gradual progression through a series of stages.
- On'yomi
- てい
- Kun'yomi
- かわ.る、たがいに