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留校 (liú jiào) — to be kept after school (as punishment); to stay at school during vacation; to be assigned to work at one's alma mater after graduation

Definition

留校 is a separable verb meaning 'stay on at school' — either as punishment after class, over a vacation, or as a graduate assigned to teach at one's alma mater.

verb
to be kept after school (as punishment)to stay at school during vacationto be assigned to work at one's alma mater after graduation

Examples

  • 留校。
    Tā yīn wèi méi xiě zuò yè bèi lǎo shī liú jiào le.
    He was kept after school by the teacher because he didn't do his homework.
  • ，留校。
    Shǔ jià hěn duō xué shēng dōu huí jiā le, zhǐ yǒu jǐ gè tóng xué liú jiào.
    During summer break, many students went home; only a few stayed at school.
  • 留校，。
    Tā bì yè hòu liú jiào rèn jiào, xiàn zài yǐ jīng shì jiào shòu le.
    After graduation, he stayed on to teach at the school, and now he's already a professor.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

留liústay
校xiàoschool

To stay or be kept at school.

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
田田tiánfield
Sound part声符shēngfú
卯
卯mǎo留liú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

留 combines 田 (field) with 卯, which gives the sound.

Open 留 →

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
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
交
交jiāo校jiào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

校 is built from 木 (tree) on the left and 交 on the right, which supplies the sound.

Open 校 →
Appears in
School & Education

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