教 (jiāo) — to teach
Definition
教 (jiāo) is the everyday verb 'to teach' — focused on the act of teaching a person a subject. 教育 is the more formal noun/verb 'education' (the system or process); 教学 is teaching as a discipline or activity.
verb
to teach
Examples
- 教。Wǒ jiāo zhōng wén.I teach Chinese.
- 教。Tā jiāo wǒ men yīng wén.He teaches us English.
- 教？Nǐ jiāo shén me kè?What class do you teach?
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
爻
爻yáo教jiào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
教 uses 爻 for its sound and puts 子 (child) with 攵 (攴), a teaching cane, to show teaching a child.
Appears in
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