Teacher's Day in China falls on September 10, set by law in 1985. Learn about Confucius, teacher-honoring idioms, and common Chinese school phrases for teachers.
Tags:China's First and Most Famous Teacher
It's 孔子(kǒngzǐ - Confucius)！
Most people know 孔子 as a famous Chinese philosopher. But actually he is also the earlist educator in China. More than 2000 years ago, 孔子 was the first teacher who started up his own private school and enrolled students widely so that everyone could have an opportunity to receive education regardless of their social class.孔子 had around 3000 students in all and he took a group of students to travel around to spread Confucianism for years.
After 孔子 passed away, the students and their students recorded his words and deeds, compiled them into a book called 论语 (Lúnyǔ - The Analects of Confucius), which is one of the most important Confucian classics. 论语 consists of 20 chapters, mainly in the form of discourses and supplemented by narratives, which reflect the political ideas, ethical thoughts, moral concepts and educational principles of Confucius and the Confucian school in a more concentrated manner.
The works are mostly quotations, but they are rich in diction and meaning, and some of the statements and chapters are vivid. The main characteristic is that the language is concise and easy to understand, but the meaning is far-reaching, and there is a graceful and smooth, subtle style, which can show the characters in simple dialogues and actions.
孔子 tried to advocate his political ideas for his whole life, however, his educational thoughts and practices have also been influencing China deelply. Since the Song Dynasty (960－1279), 论语 has been listed as one of the "Four Books" and has become an official textbook for ancient schools and a required reading for the imperial examinations. 孔子 has gained many titles for his contributions to Chinese culture, one of them is 先师 (xiānshī - unprecedented teacher).
（Almost every university campus in China has a sculpture of Confucius）
桃 means "peach", 李 means "plum". "桃李" is a metaphorical word meaning student. Why is that?In ancient time, there were a peach tree and a plum tree in a famous teacher's courtyard. Many students got education under these two trees and changed their life. After graduating, students also planted peach trees and plum trees to appreciate their teacher.
Since then, "桃李" became a word to represent students. "桃李满天下" is a commonly used wish to thank teacher's edification.
上课 | shàngkè | to have class; class begins |
下课 | xiàkè | to finish class |
上学 | shàngxué | to go to school |
放学 | fàngxué | to finish school |
测验 | cèyàn | quiz |
考试 | kǎoshì | test |
听写 | tīngxiě | to dictate; dictation |
早自习 | zǎozìxí | Morning self-study |
交/改/发 作业 | jiāo/gǎi/fā zuòyè | to hand in；to correct； to hand outhomework |
预习 | yùxí | to preview |
复习 | fùxí | to review |
练习 | liànxí | to practice |
放暑假/寒假 | fàng shǔjià/hánjià | to have summer/ winter holiday |
Bǎochí ānjìng! | Keep quiet! | |
集中注意力！ | Jízhōng zhùyì lì! | Concentrate! Focus! |
认真听！ | Rènzhēn tīng! | Listen carefully! |
老师相信你， 你可以的！ | Lǎoshī xiāngxìn nǐ， nǐ kěyǐ de! | I believe you, you can do it! |
继续加油！ | Jìxù jiāyóu! | Keep going! |
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