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在校 (zài jiào) — at school

Definition

Used as a formal written modifier meaning 'enrolled at / attending school' — pairs with nouns like 学生 or 期间 ('during one's school years'), not as a standalone verb.

verb
at school

Examples

  • 在校。
    Zhè xiē xué shēng dōu shì zài jiào de.
    These students are all at school.
  • 在校。
    Tā zài jiào qī jiān chéng jì hěn hǎo.
    He had good grades during his time at school.
  • 在校。
    zài jiào Xué shēng kě yǐ miǎn fèi shǐ yòng tú shū guǎn.
    Students at school can use the library for free.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

在zàibe at
校xiàoschool

在 (be at) and 校 (school) give the sense of being present or enrolled at a school.

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.

The early form of 在 used 才 for its sound; a second sound part 士 was added later, and that 士 became the 土 seen in 在.

Open 在 →

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
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
交
交jiāo校jiào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

校 is built from 木 (tree) on the left and 交 on the right, which supplies the sound.

Open 校 →
Appears in
School & Education

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