This character has two tones. When pronounced as jiāo, it means to teach someone. When pronounced as jiào, it refers to instructing, giving guidance or leading someone to do something.

---

 

教学相长
jiào xué xiāng zhǎng
Jiaoxue refers to teaching and learning. Xiangzhang means to make progress together. This term indicates that education is a two-way process, and that teaching others teaches oneself.

This term originated from the Book of Rites, a core text of the Confucian canon. According to the book, it is only through learning that one can notice his shortcomings, and it is only through teaching that one can find out what puzzles himself. Half of the benefit brought by teaching others is the implied introspection, which leads to self-improvement. There is also an argument about the term, which believes that the term makes reference to both teachers and students, who can help each other through interaction during the process of teaching and learning.

 

孺子可教
rú zǐ kě jiào
Ruzi is a general term used for children in ancient China. Kejiao means to be tractable and promising. The proverb has an approving sense, referring to a young person worthy to be taught.

This term comes from a story about Zhang Liang, who is known as one of the “Three Heroes of the early Han Dynasty.” According to the Records of the Grand Historian, the ancestors of Zhang came from the state of Han (403–230 BCE). After the Han was conquered by Qin, Zhang dedicated his efforts to kill the emperor of Qin. Since the assassination failed, Zhang fled and became a fugitive. One day he met an old man in rough homespun clothes. The man dropped a shoe under a bridge and asked Zhang to go down and fetch the shoe. Zhang felt offended but controlled himself on account of the other’s age. He fetched the shoe and put it on for the old man. The man left a book and with a word to Zhang—“You can be taught, boy!” Ultimately, Zhang became a strategist, contributing greatly to the establishment of the Han Dynasty. Nowadays, the term is often used to describe a kid or a young person who is smart and willing to learn, thus being worth teaching.

 

(edited by REN GUANHONG)