尺牍 Traditional form: 尺牘 Pinyin (reading): chǐdú Definitions: (literary) a one-foot-long strip of wood or bamboo, used for writing in ancient times; (as a metonym) letter; written message Characters: 尺 - ruler, tape-measure; unit of length, about 1 ft. 牍 - writing tablet; documents, books Traditional characters: 尺 - ruler, tape-measure; unit of length, about 1 ft. 牘 - writing tablet; documents, books