Chinese word

读书

Pronunciation

Pinyindú shū

Meaning

  • verbstudy

Example

我通过读书学到了很多东西。wǒ tōng guò dú shū xué dào le hěn duō dōng xī

I learned a lot by studying.

Illustration for 读书 (study)

More examples

我每天读书。wǒ měi tiān dú shū

I study every day.

Core concept

Turning time spent with books into knowledge, school learning, or useful skills.

Common phrases

  • 每天读书měi tiān dú shū

    study every day

  • 在家读书zài jiā dú shū

    study at home

  • 去学校读书qù xué xiào dú shū

    go to school

Similar words

学习xué xí: Learning through study and practice to gain knowledge or skills.
读dú: Reading written words or texts to understand their meaning.

Definition in Chinese

指通过阅读书籍或资料掌握知识、提高学业或技能，在口语中也可表示正在上学或念书。zhǐ tōng guò yuè dú shū jí huò zī liào zhǎng wò zhī shí tí gāo xué yè huò jì néng zài kóu yǔ zhōng yě kě biǎo shì zhèng zài shàng xué huò niàn shū

Word origin

读 (dú, "read") + 书 (shū, "book") creates the idea of gaining knowledge through books, which extends naturally to school learning.

Usage tips

  • English often separates reading a book from attending school, but Chinese can use 读书 (dúshū, "study") for both, especially when talking about a child's daily life.

Other meanings

  • readverb
  • go to schoolverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word