停课 (tíng kè) — to suspend classes (temporarily or for the term)

Definition

停课 means to suspend or pause classes — typically a school, not a single teacher. Short-term (weather, emergencies) or for the rest of the term.

verb

to suspend classes (temporarily or for the term)

，停课。
Yīn wèi tái fēng, xué xiào míng tiān tíng kè.
Because of the typhoon, school will suspend classes tomorrow.
。
Zhè ge xué qī yǐ jīng tíng guò liǎng cì kè le.
Classes have already been suspended twice this semester.
停课。
Wǒ men xué xiào cóng yī yuè shí wǔ hào kāi shǐ tíng kè.
Our school will suspend classes starting January 15th.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

课kèclasses

“停” means to stop or suspend, and “课” means classes, so together they mean classes are suspended.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

亻亭停

Meaning part形符xíngfú

亻Written in full as人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

亭

Same sound today

The left side 亻 is a person, and the right side 亭 gives the sound tíng; this forms 停.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 課; 课 is its simplified writing.

言果課

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánto say

Sound part声符shēngfú

果

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 課 pairs 言 (to say) with 果 as a sound part; the simplified 课 is a shorthand and its right side is not a sound part.

Appears in