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特教 (tè jiāo) — special education

Definition

Short for 特殊教育 (special education), referring to schooling for students with disabilities or special learning needs. Used as a modifier in compounds like 特教学校 or 特教老师.

noun
special education

Examples

  • 特教。
    Tā zài yì suǒ tè jiāo xué xiào gōng zuò.
    He works at a special education school.
  • 特教。
    tè jiāo Lǎo shī xū yào hěn duō nài xīn.
    Special education teachers need a lot of patience.
  • 特教。
    Zhè ge chéng shì wèi tè jiāo xué shēng tí gōng le hěn duō zī yuán.
    This city provides many resources for special education students.

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.

特tèspecial
教jiàoeducation

特 means special and 教 means education, together naming special education.

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
牛牛niúox
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì特tè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The shape combines 牛 (ox) with 寺, which gives the pronunciation; it originally meant a large bull.

Open 特 →

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 →
Appears in
School & Education

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