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自学 (zì xué) — to self-study, to study on one's own

Definition

自学 is self-study — learning a subject by yourself, not in a class. Compared to 学习 (general 'to learn/study'), 自学 emphasizes no teacher; 自习 means the same but is used mainly for in-school self-study periods.

verb
to self-studyto study on one's own
Easily confused

Examples

  • 自学。
    Tā měi tiān zì xué liǎng gè xiǎo shí yīng yǔ.
    He self-studies English for two hours every day.
  • 自学。
    Wǒ zì xué zuò cài de fāng fǎ.
    I self-study cooking methods.
  • 自学。
    zì xué Kě yǐ ràng nǐ zì yóu ān pái xué xí shí jiān.
    Self-studying allows you to freely arrange your study time.

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.

自zìself
学xuéstudy

自 “self” and 学 “study” together mean study by oneself.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 自 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4School & Education

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