TongTong
Sign in

旁听 (páng tīng) — to audit (a class), to sit in on (a meeting, court session, etc.)

Definition

To sit in on a class, meeting, or court session as a non-participating observer — you listen and watch but do not formally enroll or speak. 旁听 implies a guest or visitor role, often informal or temporary.

verb
to audit (a class)to sit in on (a meeting, court session, etc.)

Examples

  • 旁听？
    Wǒ néng páng tīng zhè mén kè ma?
    Can I audit this course?
  • 旁听。
    Tā páng tīng le zuó tiān de dǒng shì huì.
    He sat in on yesterday's board meeting.
  • 旁听。
    Hěn duō xué shēng xǐ huan páng tīng jiào shòu de jiǎng zuò.
    Many students like to audit the professor's lectures.

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.

旁pángside
听tīnglisten

旁 (side) + 听 (listen) means to listen from the side as an auditor.

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
同同tóng
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng旁páng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 旁, 方 is the lower part and gives the sound. The upper part is unclear and may have been part of the meaning.

Open 旁 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聽; 听 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 聽 has 耳 (ear) and 口 (mouth), used for listening; the simplified 听 is a later shortened form unrelated to that picture.

Open 听 →
Appears in
School & Education

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.