TongTong
Sign in

课程 (kè chéng) — course (of study); academic program

Definition

课程 refers to a full course of study (e.g. a school subject or training program), not a single class meeting. Use 课 for a lesson or class period; 课堂 is the classroom setting itself.

noun
course (of study)academic program
Measure word · 堂, 节, 门

Examples

  • 课程。
    Zhè mén kè chéng hěn yǒu yì si.
    This course is very interesting.
  • 课程。
    Xià jié kè chéng shì shù xué.
    The next class period is math.
  • 课程。
    Wǒ xuǎn le sān mén kè chéng.
    I chose three courses.

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.

课kèlesson
程chéngprogression

课 lesson and 程 progression combine to mean the planned progression of lessons, an academic course.

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 →

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
禾禾hégrain
Sound part声符shēngfú
呈
呈chéng程chéng
Same sound today

程 is made from 禾 (grain) and 呈 (pronounced chéng); the evidence gives measurements.

Open 程 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 5School & Education5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.