学堂 (xué táng) — (historical) old-style school, traditional school

Definition

A historical term for a traditional Chinese school, used mainly to refer to schools in imperial or pre-modern times. In modern Chinese, use 学校 for 'school'.

noun
(historical) old-style schooltraditional school
Measure word · 所

Examples

  • 学堂，。
    Tā xiǎo shí hou zài xué táng dú shū, hòu lái qù le chéng lǐ shàng xué.
    He studied at a traditional school when he was young, and later went to school in the city.
  • 学堂，。
    Zhè zuò xué táng jiàn yú qīng cháo, yǐ jīng yǒu liǎng bǎi duō nián lì shǐ le.
    This traditional school was built in the Qing Dynasty and has a history of over two hundred years.
  • 学堂。
    Xiàn zài hěn duō dì fāng yǐ jīng kàn bú dào lǎo xué táng le.
    Nowadays, old traditional schools can no longer be seen in many places.

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.

学xuéstudy
堂tánghall

学 points to study and 堂 to a hall, giving a place of learning.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 學; 学 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 學 may have used 爻 and 六 for sound, with hands and a child added later; the simplified 学 is a shorthand.

Open 学 →

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
土土tǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
尚
尚shàng堂táng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

堂 uses 土 as a ground/earth part and 尚 for sound.

Open 堂 →

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