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课后 (kè hòu) — after class; after school

Definition

noun
after classafter school

Examples

  • 课后。
    kè hòu Wǒ men kě yǐ yì qǐ qù tú shū guǎn.
    After class we can go to the library together.
  • 课后。
    Tā kè hòu zǒng shì qù cāo chǎng pǎo bù.
    He always goes to the playground to run after class.
  • 课后。
    kè hòu Zuò yè míng tiān yào jiāo.
    The homework after class must be handed in tomorrow.

Origin

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 課; 课 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánto say
Sound part声符shēngfú
果
果guǒ課kè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 課 pairs 言 (to say) with 果 as a sound part; the simplified 课 is a shorthand and its right side is not a sound part.

Open 课 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →
Appears in
School & Education

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