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初级 (chū jí) — elementary, primary, junior (level)

Definition

初级 means 'beginner/elementary level' — used for courses, classes, or stages (初级班, 初级考试). Pair it with 中级 (intermediate) and 高级 (advanced) to talk about skill levels. 初级 more general; 初等 is more formal, mainly for school education.

adjective
elementaryprimaryjunior (level)

Examples

  • 初级。
    Wǒ gāng gāng tōng guò le chū jí kǎo shì.
    I just passed the elementary exam.
  • 初级。
    Zhè ge chū jí bān de tóng xué dōu hěn nǔ lì.
    The students in this elementary class are all very hardworking.
  • 初级。
    Tā zài yì suǒ chū jí xué xiào jiào yīng yǔ.
    She teaches English at an elementary school.

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.

初chūfirst
级jílevel

初 means first, and 级 means level; together it means a junior or basic level.

Characters in this word

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

初 combines 衤 (clothes) and 刀 (knife), showing the start of making clothes by cutting cloth.

Open 初 →

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 級; 级 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糹Written in full as糸mìthread
Sound part声符shēngfú
及
及jí級jí
Same sound today

The traditional form 級 has 糹 (thread) and 及 as a sound part; its original sense was a sequence related to silk. The simplified 级 is a later shorthand.

Open 级 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5HSK 2.0 Level 5School & Education

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