教书

教書

jiāoshū

verb #7,486

Meanings

1 to teach (as a profession)
2 to be a teacher

Characters

Examples

她在大学教书。

Tā zài dàxué jiāoshū.

She teaches at a university.

我爸爸教了三十年的书。

Wǒ bàba jiāo le sānshí nián de shū.

My father taught for thirty years.

他不想教书了，想去做生意。

Tā bù xiǎng jiāoshū le, xiǎng qù zuò shēngyì.

He doesn't want to teach anymore; he wants to do business.

Tips

mistakes

Note the pronunciation: 教 is read jiāo (1st tone) in 教书, meaning 'to teach.' When 教 means 'religion' or 'teaching' as a noun, it's read jiào (4th tone), as in 教育 (jiàoyù, education).

usage

教书 is a verb-object compound (离合词). You can insert elements between 教 and 书: 教了十年书 (taught for ten years), 教什么书 (teach what subject).

Stroke Order

教 jiāo

书 shū