函授 (hán shòu) — to teach by correspondence; to offer a correspondence course in

Definition

函授 refers to teaching and learning by mail/online at a distance, without attending classes in person — typically used in compound terms like 函授课程. Often paired with 学校, 课程, or 招生.

verb
to teach by correspondenceto offer a correspondence course in

Examples

  • 函授。
    Zhè suǒ dà xué hán shòu lì shǐ kè yǐ jīng shí nián le.
    This university has been teaching history by correspondence for ten years.
  • 函授。
    Tā tōng guò hán shòu wán chéng le dà xué xué yè.
    He completed his university studies through correspondence learning.
  • 函授。
    Qù nián yǒu hěn duō xué shēng bào míng le zhè ge hán shòu kè chéng.
    Last year many students signed up for this correspondence course.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

函hánletter
授shòuteach

“函” refers to letters and “授” to teaching, so the word means teaching by letters.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

函 comes from an old drawing of an upside-down arrow stored inside a box with one or two handles.

Open 函 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
受
受shòu授shòu
Same sound today

授 is built from 手 and 受. 受 gives the sound, and 手 is a hand.

Open 授 →

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