助教 (zhù jiào) — teaching assistant (at a university or school)

Definition

noun

teaching assistant (at a university or school)

Measure word · 个

助教。
Tā zài dà xué dāng zhù jiào.
She works as a teaching assistant at the university.
助教。
zhù jiào Bāng wǒ xiū gǎi le lùn wén.
The teaching assistant helped me revise my paper.
助教，。
Zuò wéi zhù jiào, tā yào zhǔn bèi shí yàn cái liào.
As a teaching assistant, he has to prepare lab materials.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

助 means assist and 教 means teach, together naming someone who assists teaching.

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.

且力助

Meaning part形符xíngfú

力力lìstrong arm

Sound part声符shēngfú

且

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

助 pairs 力, a strong arm, with 且, which gives the sound; the meaning is help with strength.

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

子子zǐchild

攵Written in full as攴pūteaching cane; stick that represents authority

Sound part声符shēngfú

爻

爻yáo教jiào

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

教 uses 爻 for its sound and puts 子 (child) with 攵 (攴), a teaching cane, to show teaching a child.

Appears in