逃课 (táo kè) — to skip class, to play truant | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

逃课 means 'skip class / play truant' — typically used for students deliberately avoiding a specific class or lecture. Implies a deliberate, rule-breaking act, unlike missing school due to illness.

verb

to skip classto play truant

Examples

逃课。
Tā jīn tiān yòu táo kè le.
He skipped class again today.
。
Wǒ shàng dà xué shí cóng lái méi táo guò kè.
I never skipped a class when I was in college.
。
Tā yīn wèi táo le sān cì kè bèi lǎo shī pī píng le.
He was criticized by the teacher for skipping class three times.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

逃 means flee, and 课 is the class that one flees.

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.

辶兆逃

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuòwalk

Sound part声符shēngfú

兆

兆zhào逃táo

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

逃 pairs 辶 (walk) with 兆, which gives the pronunciation.

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.

言果課

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánto say

Sound part声符shēngfú

果

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.

Appears in

School & Education

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