大学
dàxué
The Chinese word for university is 大学 (dàxué).
大学 is a noun used to refer to an institution of higher education. You can use the phrase 上大学 to say you are attending or going to university, as the verb 上 (to go up) functions as 'to attend' in this context.
Meaning: institution of higher education (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 大学 is composed of 大 (dà), meaning 'big' or 'great' and 学 (xué), meaning 'study' or 'learning'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the term 大学 (daaih hohk) is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe a university student, you can add 生 (shēng), meaning 'student' or 'born of', to the end of the word to create 大学生.
How do you pronounce it?
dàxué
Did you know?
- When referring to a person's alma mater, Chinese speakers often use the phrase 母校 (mǔxiào), which literally translates to 'mother school'.
- The term 大学 is also the title of one of the Four Books of Confucianism, a foundational text for students in ancient China.
- If you want to say you are 'studying at' a university, you use the verb 读, which means 'to read', rather than a verb meaning 'to study'.
Examples in context
- 我去上大学。I go to university.This sentence is useful for saying you go to university.Tatoeba #3378097 by GlossaMatik, translation #3378098 by _undertoad
- 我是个大学生。I am a university student.This sentence is useful for stating you are a university student.Tatoeba #2031433 by ydcok, translation #275627 by CC
- 我渴望上大学。I yearn for the university.This sentence is useful for expressing a yearning to attend university.Tatoeba #4844791 by pig8322, translation #4834060 by derpapottamus
- 我在清华大学读书。I am studying at Tsinghua University.
- 明天一起去大学校园散步吧！Let's go for a walk on the university campus tomorrow!
- 63 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing their future plans over coffee.
- 俊杰 Junjie你以后想去哪所大学？Nǐ yǐhòu xiǎng qù nǎ suǒ dàxué?Which university do you want to go to in the future?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我想去那所著名的大学。Wǒ xiǎng qù nà suǒ zhùmíng de dàxué.I want to go to that famous university.
- 俊杰 Junjie那所大学离这里很远吗？Nà suǒ dàxué lí zhèlǐ hěn yuǎn ma?Is that university far from here?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen不远，坐地铁很快。Bù yuǎn, zuò dìtiě hěn kuài.Not far, it's very fast by subway.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
