Chinese word

放学

Pronunciation

Pinyinfàng xué

Meaning

  • verbschool lets out

Example

放学了，我跟同学一起回家。fàng xué le wǒ gēn tóng xué yì qǐ huí jiā

School lets out, and I go home with my classmates.

Illustration for 放学 (school lets out)

More examples

放学了，我去超市买东西。fàng xué le wǒ qù chāo shì mǎi dōng xī

School lets out, and I go to the supermarket to buy things.

Core concept

The school day reaches the point when classrooms empty and students head home.

Common phrases

  • 放学了fàng xué le

    School lets out

  • 放学回家fàng xué huí jiā

    go home after school

  • 放学去吃饭fàng xué qù chī fàn

    go eat after school

Similar words

下课xià kè: Marks the end of one lesson, usually when students leave the classroom or rest.
回家huí jiā: Returns to the place where one lives.

Definition in Chinese

指学校一日或一段教学结束后学生离校回家的行为，也可泛指放学时刻或放学后的那段时间。zhǐ xué xiào yí rì huò yí duàn jiào xué jié shù hòu xué shēng lí xiào huí jiā de xíng wéi yě kě fàn zhǐ fàng xué shí kè huò fàng xué hòu de nà duàn shí jiān

Word origin

放 (fàng, "release") contributes the idea of letting go, while 学 (xué, "learning") identifies school learning, so the compound names the release from classes.

Usage tips

  • Chinese uses 放学 (fàngxué, "school lets out") for both the school-leaving event and its time, so 放学后 (fàngxué hòu, "after school") names the period that follows classes.

Other meanings

  • school dismissalnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word