教授
jiàoshòu
The Chinese word for professor is 教授 (jiàoshòu).
教授 is used to describe a teacher or faculty member at a college or university, regardless of their formal rank. It serves a dual purpose: it can be used as a noun to describe someone's profession or as a title when addressing them directly.
Meaning: teacher or faculty member at a college or university, regardless of formal rank (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 教授 is composed of the characters 教, meaning 'to teach' and 授, meaning 'to impart' or 'to bestow'.
Which one should you use?
While 教授 specifically refers to a university-level professor, the term 老师 is a more general term for any teacher or instructor and is often used as a respectful way to address anyone in an educational role.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term 教授 is used in most regions, including Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.
How does it change in a sentence?
When addressing a professor by name, the surname is placed before the title 教授, such as in 王教授 (Professor Wang).
How do you pronounce it?
jiàoshòu
Did you know?
- The word 教授 can also function as a verb meaning 'to teach' a specific subject, not just a noun for the person.
- In some professional contexts, people who are not actually professors may be called 教授 as a courtesy title to show high respect for their expertise.
- In many Chinese universities, students will almost never call a professor by their name followed by 教授, preferring instead the simpler title 老师 (teacher).
Examples in context
- 我丈夫是教授。My husband is a professor.This sentence is useful for describing a husband's profession using 教授.Tatoeba #8671298 by crescat, translation #8780249 by weihaiping
- 我哥哥是教授。My brother is a professor.This sentence is useful for describing a brother's profession using 教授.Tatoeba #8696349 by crescat, translation #873456 by CM
- 我是大学教授。I am a professor.This sentence is useful for stating one's own profession as a university professor using 教授.Tatoeba #8762958 by crescat, translation #256939 by CK
- 这是我们的化学教授。This is our chemistry professor.
- 33 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A student and a man are talking about a college course.
- 梓涵 Zihan这位教授很受欢迎吗？Zhè wèi jiàoshòu hěn shòu huān yíng ma?Is this professor very popular?
- 志强 Zhiqiang是的，那位教授很有名。Shì de, nà wèi jiàoshòu hěn yǒu míng.Yes, that professor is very famous.
- 梓涵 Zihan志强，你以前见过他吗？Zhìqiáng, nǐ yǐ qián jiàn guò tā ma?Zhiqiang, have you met him before?
- 志强 Zhiqiang我以前在课上见过他。Wǒ yǐ qián zài kè shàng jiàn guò tā.I have seen him in class before.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
