Chinese word

母校

Pronunciation

Pinyinmǔ xiào

Meaning

  • nounalma mater

Example

我每年都会回母校看看。wǒ měi nián dū huì huí mǔ xiào kàn kàn

I go back to my alma mater to look around every year.

Illustration for 母校 (alma mater)

More examples

毕业典礼那天，很多人会回到母校合影。bì yè dián lǐ nà tiān hěn duō rén huì huí dào mǔ xiào hé yǐng

On the day of the graduation ceremony, many people go back to their alma mater to take a group photo.

Core concept

A person's former school viewed as a lasting source of learning, memories, and affiliation.

Common phrases

  • 回到母校huí dào mǔ xiào

    go back to one's alma mater

  • 想念母校xiǎng niàn mǔ xiào

    long for one's alma mater

  • 参加母校的校友会cān jiā mǔ xiào de xiào yǒu huì

    take part in one's alma mater's alumni association

Similar words

学校xué xiào: An educational institution where students study, such as a school or university.
毕业院校bì yè yuàn xiào: A formal name for a person's former school, used when describing educational history.
校友xiào yǒu: A graduate of a particular school who belongs to its former-student community.

Definition in Chinese

指个人曾就读并已毕业的学校，也用于泛指对原毕业学校的认同感。zhǐ gè rén céng jiù dú bìng yǐ bì yè de xué xiào yě yòng yú fàn zhǐ duì yuán bì yè xué xiào de rèn tóng gǎn

Word origin

In 母校 (mǔxiào, "alma mater"), 母 (mǔ, "mother") gives 校 (xiào, "school") the image of a place that raises and supports its students.

Usage tips

  • The word can appear in contexts involving reunions, visits, donations, or school pride, so it expresses continuing affiliation rather than only past attendance.

Word lists with this word