校

jiào, xiào

交 + 木

Definitions

xiào (noun) school

jiào (verb) to check; to proofread; to compare

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 交 represents the sound.

Semantic: 木 Phonetic: 交

About

校 is a phonosemantic compound combining 木 'wood' for meaning and 交 for sound. It originally referred to wooden stocks or fetters used to restrain prisoners, later extending to a wooden enclosure or parade ground for military drills. From this sense of a designated space for training and discipline, the meaning shifted to civil education, yielding the modern pronunciation xiào (school, educational institution). A distinct reading jiào developed for the act of meticulously proofreading or collating texts.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我在学校学习。

Wǒ zài xuéxiào xuéxí.

I study at school.

我们的校园很漂亮。

Wǒmen de xiàoyuán hěn piàoliang.

Our campus is very beautiful.

校长在礼堂讲话。

Xiàozhǎng zài lǐtáng jiǎnghuà.

The principal is speaking in the auditorium.

请你仔细校对这份文件。

Qǐng nǐ zǐxì jiàoduì zhè fèn wénjiàn.

Please proofread this document carefully.

下个月是学校的校庆。

Xià gè yuè shì xuéxiào de xiàoqìng.

Next month is the school's anniversary celebration.

校友会组织了一次活动。

Xiàoyǒuhuì zǔzhī le yīcì huódòng.

The alumni association organized an event.

学生们必须遵守校规。

Xuéshengmen bìxū zūnshǒu xiàoguī.

Students must obey the school rules.

这两所大学开展了校际交流。

Zhè liǎng suǒ dàxué kāizhǎn le xiàojì jiāoliú.

These two universities have started an intercollegiate exchange.

Related Characters

Component: 交

Component: 木

校