Secondary School in Chinese 中学
zhōngxué
Secondary school in Chinese is 中学 (zhōng xué).
Also searched for as: secondary school, middle school, high school.
What comes after primary? 15 essential secondary school words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for secondary school in Chinese is 中学 (zhōng xué), literally 'middle school'. In mainland China it is split into 初中 (chū zhōng), usually three years of lower secondary, and 高中 (gāo zhōng), upper secondary. These words cover the busy years of 考试 (kǎo shì), exams, and 复习 (fù xí), revision, along with new subjects such as 物理 (wù lǐ), physics, and 化学 (huà xué), chemistry. They're useful for comparing schooling in different countries.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 中学 | zhōng xué | secondary school |
| 初中 | chū zhōng | lower secondary school |
| 中学生 | zhōng xué shēng | secondary school student |
| 考试 | kǎo shì | exam |
| 成绩 | chéng jì | grades; results |
| 分数 | fēn shù | score; mark |
| 及格 | jí gé | to pass |
| 不及格 | bù jí gé | to fail |
| 复习 | fù xí | to revise |
| 预习 | yù xí | to prepare (before class) |
| 科学 | kē xué | science |
| 物理 | wù lǐ | physics |
| 化学 | huà xué | chemistry |
| 生物 | shēng wù | biology |
| 宿舍 | sù shè | dormitory |
Usage tips
- 复习 (fù xí) is revising what you've already learnt, while 预习 (yù xí) is preparing before a lesson, a habit Chinese teachers often expect.
- 及格 (jí gé) means reaching the pass mark, traditionally 60 out of 100, and 不及格 (bù jí gé) is failing; 成绩 (chéng jì) means results in general and 分数 (fēn shù) a particular mark.
- Some Chinese secondary schools are boarding schools, so students live in a 宿舍 (sù shè), dormitory, during the week and go home at weekends.
Common mistakes
- 'I failed the exam' isn't 我失败了考试; say 我考试不及格 (wǒ kǎo shì bù jí gé) or, more gently, 我没考好 (wǒ méi kǎo hǎo), I didn't do well.
- Learners put a subject after 考试, as in 我考试数学; say 我考数学 (wǒ kǎo shù xué) or 我有数学考试 (wǒ yǒu shù xué kǎo shì).
Mini dialogue
- A下周一有物理考试，你复习了吗？Xià zhōu yī yǒu wù lǐ kǎo shì, nǐ fù xí le ma?There's a physics exam next Monday. Have you revised?
- B还没呢。上次我差一点儿不及格。Hái méi ne. Shàng cì wǒ chà yī diǎnr bù jí gé.Not yet. Last time I nearly failed.
- A别担心，我们周末一起复习吧。Bié dān xīn, wǒ men zhōu mò yī qǐ fù xí ba.Don't worry, let's revise together at the weekend.
- B太好了！你的物理成绩那么好，一定能帮我。Tài hǎo le! Nǐ de wù lǐ chéng jì nà me hǎo, yī dìng néng bāng wǒ.Great! Your physics results are so good, I'm sure you can help me.
Example sentences
- 我在一所中学当老师。I teach at a secondary school.
- 我初中是在老家上的。I went to lower secondary school in my home town.
- 很多中学生喜欢打篮球。Lots of secondary school students like playing basketball.
- 下周一有数学考试。There's a maths exam next Monday.
- 他这次的成绩很好。His results were very good this time.
- 你英语考试的分数是多少？What mark did you get in your English exam?
- 我这次考试及格了。I passed the exam this time.
- 他的物理不及格。He failed physics.
- 我在复习明天的考试。I'm revising for tomorrow's exam.
- 上课前要先预习课文。You should read through the text before class.
- 我对科学很感兴趣。I'm very interested in science.
- 物理老师讲得很清楚。The physics teacher explains things very clearly.
- 我们今天做化学实验。We're doing a chemistry experiment today.
- 生物课上我们学了植物。We learnt about plants in biology.
- 我们宿舍住六个人。Six people live in our dormitory.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Secondary school speaking island has 8 everyday questions about secondary school to prepare your own answers to.