(bì yè) - to graduate, graduation in Mandarin
bìyèTraditional: 畢業
Translation
to graduate, graduation
Word origin
A compound of 毕 (bì, to finish, to complete) and 业 (yè, studies, a course of work), so literally to finish one's studies.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 毕 (bì, to finish) + 业 (yè, studies)
Stroke order
毕
业
Examples
。
I graduated from university last year.
。
He went to Beijing after graduating.
？
When do you graduate?
。
It poured with rain on graduation day.
。
She graduated from a small school.
毕业 (bì yè) is to graduate, and it doubles as the noun graduation in 毕业典礼 (the graduation ceremony), 毕业生 (a graduate) and 毕业证书 (a diploma).
Grammatically it is a verb-object compound: 毕 is the verb, 业 is its object. That means the two halves can be prised apart, which is why 毕了业 and 毕业两年了 are both fine, and why 毕业 can never take another object of its own.
The trap follows straight from that. You cannot say 毕业大学. The school goes in front with 从 (从大学毕业) or behind with the formal 于 (毕业于北京大学). English lets graduate swallow its university directly; Chinese does not.
Where this fits
Used in
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毕业: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "毕业" (to graduate, graduation): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 46.