速成班 (sù chéng bān) — intensive course; crash course

Definition

A 'crash course' or 'intensive course' — short-term training designed to produce results quickly, usually by compressing normal content into a few weeks. The focus is on speed and acceleration, not depth.

noun
intensive coursecrash course

Examples

  • 速成班，。
    Tā bào le yí gè yīng yǔ sù chéng bān, xiǎng zài sān gè yuè nèi tōng guò kǎo shì.
    He signed up for an English crash course, hoping to pass the exam in three months.
  • 速成班，。
    Hěn duō jiā zhǎng gěi hái zi zhǎo sù chéng bān, xī wàng kuài sù tí gāo chéng jì.
    Many parents find crash courses for their children, hoping to quickly improve their grades.
  • 速成班，。
    Zhè ge sù chéng bān zhǐ yǒu liǎng zhōu, dàn nèi róng fēi cháng jǐn còu.
    This intensive course is only two weeks, but the content is very compact.

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.

速成quickly finish
速sùquickly成chéngfinish
偏正Modifier + head
班bānclass

速 (quickly) and 成 (finish) give 速成, and 班 (class) is the 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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
束
束shù速sù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

速 pairs 辵, the walking part, with 束, which is used for its sound; the walking part fits the meaning of moving fast.

Open 速 →

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
戊戊wù
Sound part声符shēngfú
丁
丁dīng成chéng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

Open 成 →

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

  • 珏珏juépieces of jade
  • 刀刀dāoknife

班 shows 珏, pieces of jade, and 刀, a knife, cutting them into pieces.

Open 班 →

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