Chinese word

下课

Pronunciation

Pinyinxià kè

Meaning

  • verbclass ends

Example

下课了，我们去吃饭吧。xià kè le wǒ men qù chī fàn ba

Class is over, so let's go eat.

Illustration for 下课 (class ends)

More examples

下课的时候，很多学生去操场。xià kè de shí hòu hěn duō xué shēng qù cāo chǎng

When class is over, many students go to the playground.

Core concept

The end of a lesson opens the door from study time to rest or movement.

Common phrases

  • 下课的时候xià kè de shí hòu

    when class is over

Similar words

上课shàng kè: Signals that a lesson is beginning and students are starting to learn.
放学fàng xué: Signals that the school day's classes and activities are finished and students are going home.
下班xià bān: Signals that work for the day is finished and a person is leaving the workplace.

Definition in Chinese

指一堂课结束，课堂活动停止，学生不再听讲并开始离开或休息。zhǐ yì táng kè jié shù kè táng huó dòng tíng zhǐ xué shēng bú zài tīng jiǎng bìng kāi shǐ lí kāi huò xiū xī

Word origin

The compound joins 下 (xià, "down") with 课 (kè, "lesson"), treating a lesson as an activity that can be brought to its endpoint.

Usage tips

  • In school conversation, the word refers to the lesson just finished, so it does not by itself mean that the entire school day is over.

Other meanings

  • end of classnoun
  • dismiss classverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word