研究生

• Pinyin: yán jiū shēng
• Hanzi breakdown: 研究 = to research; 生 = pictograph of a plant sprouting from the ground, meaning a student or person

Meaning

Graduate student; postgraduate student. A student studying for a master's or doctoral degree.

Refers to students enrolled in a 研究生院 (graduate school). Includes both 硕士研究生 (master's students) and 博士研究生 (doctoral students). Taking the 考研 exam (the national postgraduate entrance exam) is extremely competitive in China.

Examples

1. 她去年考上了北京大学的研究生。 She passed the entrance exam for Beijing University's graduate programme last year.
2. 研究生的学习压力通常比本科生大很多。 Graduate students generally face much more academic pressure than undergraduates.
3. 他是一名研究生，正在撰写关于人工智能的毕业论文。 He is a graduate student currently writing his thesis on artificial intelligence.

Usage Guide

Context: academic, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 他今年报考了清华大学的研究生。(He sat the entrance exam for Tsinghua University's graduate programme this year.)
• 她是一名在读研究生，专业是经济学。(She is a current graduate student majoring in economics.)

Don't Say

• 用'研究生'指正在上研究课的本科生 (Don't use 研究生 for an undergraduate who happens to be doing research — the term specifically refers to students enrolled in a master's or doctoral programme)

Origin & History

A compound of 研究 (research/study) and 生 (student/person). Literally a person who engages in research-level study.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal