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听课 (tīng kè) — to attend a class or lecture; to sit in on a class

Definition

A verb-object phrase meaning 'to attend a class' — to go and listen to a lecture, often as a student or auditor. Pairs with 课 as object and takes aspect markers like 了, 过, or 完.

verb
to attend a class or lectureto sit in on a class

Examples

  • 听课。
    Wǒ míng tiān qù dà xué tīng kè.
    I'm going to the university to sit in on a class tomorrow.
  • 。
    Tā zhè xué qī tīng le sān mén kè.
    He audited three courses this semester.
  • ？
    Nǐ tīng guò tā de kè ma?
    Have you ever attended his lecture?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

听tīnglisten
课kèclass

听 means listen and 课 means class, together meaning to attend a class.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聽; 听 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 聽 has 耳 (ear) and 口 (mouth), used for listening; the simplified 听 is a later shortened form unrelated to that picture.

Open 听 →

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánto say
Sound part声符shēngfú
果
果guǒ課kè
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.

Open 课 →
Appears in
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