教员 (jiào yuán) — teacher; instructor | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

教员 is a formal/military term for 'instructor', more institutional than the everyday 老师. Common in training programs and the armed forces.

noun

teacherinstructor

Measure word · 个

教员。
Zhè wèi jiào yuán jiào le wǒ men sān nián shù xué.
This teacher taught us math for three years.
教员。
Tā zài jūn xiào dān rèn jūn shì jiào yuán.
He serves as a military instructor at the military academy.
教员。
Péi xùn bān de jiào yuán jīng yàn fēi cháng fēng fù.
The instructors at the training class are very experienced.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

教 means teach and 员 denotes a person, so it is someone who teaches.

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.

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.

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 員; 员 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

〇

〇líng員yuán

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

In the traditional form 員, 〇 supplies the sound and 鼎 supplies the meaning; the simplified 员 is a shortened form.

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