毕业

• Pinyin: bì yè
• Hanzi breakdown: 毕 = simplified from 畢, meaning finish/complete; 业 = simplified from 業, meaning studies/profession

Meaning

To graduate; graduation. Completing a course of study at a school or university.

Used for graduating from any educational institution — primary school, middle school, high school, or university. Often followed by 于 or 从 to indicate the institution. Also used figuratively to mean finishing or completing a phase, though this is informal.

Examples

1. 她明年六月就要从大学毕业了。 She will graduate from university next June.
2. 毕业以后你打算做什么工作？ What kind of job do you plan to do after graduating?
3. 他是去年毕业的，现在已经在一家大公司上班了。 He graduated last year and is now working at a big company.

Usage Guide

Context: education, career

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 祝你毕业快乐！(Congratulations on your graduation!)
• 他毕业于北京大学。(He graduated from Peking University.)

Don't Say

• 说'我毕业了这门课' (Don't say 毕业了这门课 for finishing a single course — 毕业 means completing an entire programme; use 学完 or 修完 for individual courses)

Origin & History

A compound of 毕 (finish, complete) and 业 (studies, profession). Together they mean to complete one's course of study.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal