缺课 (quē kè) — to miss class; to be absent from a lesson

Definition

Missing class specifically because a student skips or is absent, not a general absence. Pairs with a class/lesson object (缺一次课, 缺了三堂课).

verb

to miss classto be absent from a lesson

缺课。
Tā jīn tiān yòu quē kè le.
He missed class again today.
。
Zhè ge xué qī tā quē le sān cì kè.
He missed class three times this semester.
。
Tā yīn wèi shēng bìng quē le yí gè xīng qī de kè.
He missed a week of class because he was sick.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

缺 means lacking or missing, and 课 means class, so the sense is to miss 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.

缶夬缺

Meaning part形符xíngfú

缶缶fǒuearthen pot

Sound part声符shēngfú

夬

夬guài缺quē

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

缺 pairs 缶, an earthen pot, with 夬, which gives the sound.

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.

言果課

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánto say

Sound part声符shēngfú

果

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.