管教

• Pinyin: guǎn jiào
• Hanzi breakdown: 管 = 竹 + 官 (oversee); 教 = 孝 + 攴 (teach through instruction and discipline)

Meaning

To discipline and educate; to supervise and correct. Refers to the act of guiding, correcting, and imposing discipline on someone, especially a child or offender.

Used in parenting, education, and correctional contexts. Can describe a parent's duty to discipline their child, or the official supervision of offenders. In legal contexts, 管教 can refer to a formal supervisory measure for juvenile offenders. Carries an authoritative, corrective connotation.

Examples

1. 父母有责任管教子女，让他们养成良好的行为习惯。 Parents have a responsibility to discipline their children so they develop good habits.
2. 这名少年屡次犯错，班主任决定对其进行严格管教。 After this teenager made repeated mistakes, the homeroom teacher decided to discipline him strictly.
3. 对于初犯的青少年，法院通常采取管教措施而非直接判刑。 For first-time juvenile offenders, courts usually adopt corrective measures rather than sentencing them right away.

Usage Guide

Context: parenting, education, law

Tone: authoritative

Do Say

• 孩子从小没有得到良好的管教，长大后容易走弯路。(A child who doesn't receive proper discipline from a young age is more likely to go astray when they grow up.)
• 学校和家庭应共同承担对未成年人的管教责任。(Schools and families should jointly bear the responsibility of disciplining minors.)

Don't Say

• 他管教着整个部门 — use 管理 or 领导 for managing a team or department; 管教 implies correction/discipline, not general leadership

Origin & History

管 (to oversee, manage) + 教 (to teach, instruct). Together conveys the dual role of supervising behaviour and providing moral instruction.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal