教科文 (jiào kē wén) — UNESCO (abbreviation for 联合国教科文组织); education, science and culture (as a general acronym)

Definition

Short for 联合国教科文组织, the United Nations agency for education, science, and culture (UNESCO). Used mainly in formal or news writing; in speech the full name is more common.

noun
UNESCO (abbreviation for 联合国教科文组织)educationscience and culture (as a general acronym)

Examples

  • 教科文。
    Zhè shì lián hé guó jiào kē wén zǔ zhī.
    This is UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
  • 教科文。
    jiào kē wén Dài biǎo cān jiā le huì yì.
    The UNESCO representative attended the meeting.
  • 。
    Tā gōng zuò zài jiào kē wén lǐng yù.
    He works in the field of education, science and culture.

Origin

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
子子zǐchild
攵Written in full as攴pūteaching cane; stick that represents authority
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.

Open 教 →

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
斗斗dòumeasuring tool
Sound part声符shēngfú
禾
禾hé科kē
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

科 pairs 禾, which gives the hé sound, with 斗, a measuring tool.

Open 科 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

The current form 文 shows a man with head, arms, legs, and chest; the tattoo marks on the chest are no longer drawn.

Open 文 →

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