课程

• Pinyin: kè chéng
• Hanzi breakdown: 课 = 讠(speech) + 果 (fruit/result), meaning to assess or teach; 程 = 禾 (grain) + 呈 (present), meaning process or standard

Meaning

Course; curriculum; class programme. A structured series of lessons or a set of subjects in a school or training programme.

Refers to a complete course of study rather than a single class session (课). Used in educational contexts for school subjects, university programmes, online courses, and training curricula. Common collocations include 课程表 (class schedule), 课程设置 (curriculum design), and 选修课程 (elective course).

Examples

1. 这学期我选了五门课程。 I chose five courses this semester.
2. 学校新开了一门中文课程。 The school has opened a new Chinese course.
3. 你觉得这个课程难不难？ Do you think this course is difficult?

Usage Guide

Context: education, school, training

Tone: informative

Do Say

• 我正在上一门网上课程。(I'm taking an online course.)
• 这门课程的内容很有意思。(The content of this course is very interesting.)

Don't Say

• 今天下午有两个课程。(When referring to class sessions, use 节课 not 个课程. Say 今天下午有两节课.)

Origin & History

Compound of 课 (lesson/class) and 程 (process/journey). 课 originally meant to assess or test, later extending to mean a lesson. 程 means a process or standard measure. Together they refer to a structured educational programme.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal