Meaning
教 is a fundamental verb meaning 'to teach' or 'to instruct.' It has two pronunciations: jiāo when used as a verb meaning to teach someone something, and jiào when referring to teaching as a concept or religion. This character appears in countless educational contexts and is essential for discussing learning and instruction.
Usage
When used as jiāo, it typically takes a double object structure: 教 + person + thing (e.g., 教我中文 'teach me Chinese'). The jiào pronunciation appears in compounds like 教育 (education) and 宗教 (religion). In spoken Mandarin, jiāo is more common in everyday teaching contexts.
Examples
- 01她教我们汉语。.She teaches us Chinese.
- 02你能教我怎么做这道菜吗？?Can you teach me how to make this dish?
Common collocations
- 教书to teach (as a profession)
- 教会to teach someone how to do something; church
- 教学teaching and learning
- 宗教religion
Antonyms
Origin
The character combines 孝 (filial piety, also phonetic component) with 攵 (a hand holding a stick), originally depicting the act of instructing children with discipline and guidance.