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补考 (bǔ kǎo) — (noun) makeup exam; retake examination; (verb) to take a makeup exam; to retake an examination

Definition

A separable verb (离合词): 补 (make up) + 考 (exam). Use as a verb in 补考… or as a noun with 的/了 (e.g. 这次的补考). For 'take an exam' in the normal sense, use 参加考试 — 补考 specifically means retaking one you missed or failed.

noun
makeup examretake examination
verb
to take a makeup examto retake an examination
Measure word · 次

Examples

  • 补考。
    Wǒ xià zhōu èr yào cān jiā shù xué bǔ kǎo.
    I have to take a math makeup exam next Tuesday.
  • ，补考。
    Tā yīn wèi shēng bìng cuò guò le kǎo shì, xū yào bǔ kǎo wù lǐ.
    He missed the exam due to illness and needs to retake physics.
  • 补考。
    Zhè cì bǔ kǎo de chéng jì bǐ shàng cì hǎo duō le.
    The result of this makeup exam is much better than last time.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

补bǔmake up; supplement
考kǎoexam

The make-up action and exam idea combine to mean taking an exam after missing or failing one.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 補; 补 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衤Written in full as衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
甫
甫fǔ補bǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 補 shows 衤 (clothes) beside 甫, which gives the sound; the simplified 补 is a later shorthand, so its shape is not the historical breakdown.

Open 补 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 耂耂lǎoan old man with long hair, bent over
  • 丂丂kǎoa walking cane

In 考, the upper 耂 is an old man with long hair, bent over, and the lower 丂 is a walking cane.

Open 考 →
Appears in
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