好学

• Pinyin: hào xué
• Hanzi breakdown: 好 = 女 (woman) + 子 (child), here meaning 'to love'; 学 = 学 (child) + 冖 (roof), meaning to learn

Meaning

Eager to learn; studious. Having a strong desire for knowledge and learning.

A positive trait describing someone who loves learning. Common collocations: 好学不倦 (untiring in learning), 勤奋好学 (diligent and eager to learn). Often used to praise students or anyone showing intellectual curiosity. Note: pronounced hào xué, not hǎo xué.

Examples

1. 这个孩子从小就好学，对什么都充满好奇心。 This child has been eager to learn since young, full of curiosity about everything.
2. 她虽然已经退休了，但依然好学不倦，每天坚持学习新知识。 Although she has retired, she remains untiring in her pursuit of learning, studying new knowledge every day.
3. 好学的人走到哪里都能找到值得学习的东西。 People who love learning can find things worth learning wherever they go.

Usage Guide

Context: education, praise, character

Tone: complimentary

Do Say

• 他是个好学的年轻人。(He's an eager-to-learn young man.)
• 好学才能不断进步。(Only by being eager to learn can you keep improving.)

Don't Say

• 读成hǎo xué (Don't pronounce it as hǎo xué — the correct pronunciation is hào xué with 4th tone on 好)

Origin & History

Compound of 好 (hào, to love, to be fond of) + 学 (learn, study). Different tone from 好 (hǎo, good) changes the meaning to 'love learning.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal