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教课 (jiāo kè) — to teach a class, to give a lesson

Definition

教课 is a separable verb (离合词) that usually splits as 教…课/教了…课/教过…课, meaning 'to teach a class.' Focuses on the act of giving lessons, unlike 教书 (teach a subject over time) or 教学 (teach as a field/method).

verb
to teach a classto give a lesson

Examples

  • 教课。
    Tā měi zhōu èr xià wǔ jiāo kè.
    He teaches class every Tuesday afternoon.
  • 。
    Jīn tiān shàng wǔ wǒ jiào le liǎng gè xiǎo shí de kè.
    I taught two hours of class this morning.
  • 。
    Zhè wèi lǎo shī yǐ jīng jiào le shí nián kè.
    This teacher has been teaching for ten years.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

教jiàoteach
课kèlesson

“教” (teach) and “课” (lesson) combine to mean teaching a lesson or class.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 課; 课 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánto say
Sound part声符shēngfú
果
果guǒ課kè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 課 pairs 言 (to say) with 果 as a sound part; the simplified 课 is a shorthand and its right side is not a sound part.

Open 课 →
Appears in
School & Education

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