课间 (kè jiān) — break between classes; recess | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

break between classesrecess

Examples

课间。
kè jiān Yǒu shí fēn zhōng xiū xi shí jiān.
There's a ten-minute break between classes.
课间。
Wǒ men cháng zài kè jiān yì qǐ liáo tiān.
We often chat together during recess.
课间。
kè jiān Shí xué shēng men dōu qù cāo chǎng wán le.
During the break, all the students went to the playground to play.

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.

间jiāninterval

课 is class, 间 is the interval around it, so the break between classes.

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.

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.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in

School & Education

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