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教训 (jiào xùn) — (verb) to lecture, to reprimand, to give a talking-to; (noun) a lesson (from a mistake), a bitter experience

Definition

教训 (jiàoxùn) works as both a verb ('to lecture/reprimand') and a noun ('a lesson from a mistake'). As a noun, it stresses a painful personal takeaway — narrower than the more neutral 启示 ('revelation, moral').

verb
to lectureto reprimandto give a talking-to
noun
a lesson (from a mistake)a bitter experience
Measure word · 番, 顿

Examples

  • 教训。
    Bà ba hěn hěn dì jiào xùn le tā yí dùn.
    His father gave him a severe talking-to.
  • 教训。
    Zhè cì shī bài duì wǒ men lái shuō shì yí gè shēn kè de jiào xùn.
    This failure is a profound lesson for us.
  • 教训教训。
    Jīng lǐ zhèng zài jiào xùn nà ge ài jiào xùn rén de xí guàn ràng yuán gōng hěn jǐn zhāng.
    The manager's habit of lecturing people makes employees very nervous.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

教jiàoinstruct
训xùnadmonish

教 means instruct and 训 means admonish; the pair expresses guiding or rebuking someone.

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.

Open 教 →

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 訓; 训 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeech
Sound part声符shēngfú
川
川chuān訓xùn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 训, the traditional form 訓 puts 言 (speech) beside 川, a sound part, and conveys preaching a teaching.

Open 训 →
Appears in
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