考试
exam; to take an exam
kǎoshì
What does 考试 mean?
考试 (kǎoshì) means both 'exam' (the noun) and 'to take an exam' (the verb-object compound). It's a separable verb-object construction: 考 ('to test') + 试 ('a trial / test'). To say 'take an exam' you can use 考试 directly (我明天考试 'I have an exam tomorrow') or split it for an object — 考一个试 ('take a test'), 考英语试 is wrong; instead say 考英语 or 英语考试. Closely related: 考 alone is the active verb 'to take a test in / to test someone' — 考英语 ('take an English exam'), 老师考我们 ('the teacher tests us').
Exams shape Chinese student life: 高考 (gāokǎo) is the national college entrance exam, 中考 the high-school entrance one, 期末考试
Character breakdown
to test; to examine
to try; a trial; a test
Memory hook: 考 (test) + 试 (try) — a 'testing trial.' Both characters mean a kind of test, doubled to nail down the meaning.
Measure word for 考试
Example sentences
我明天有考试。
Wǒ míngtiān yǒu kǎoshì.
I have an exam tomorrow.
neutral
这次考试很难。
Zhè cì kǎoshì hěn nán.
This exam was very hard.
spoken
我要好好准备考试。
Wǒ yào hǎohǎo zhǔnbèi kǎoshì.
I'm going to prepare for the exam well.
neutral
他通过了考试。
Tā tōngguò le kǎoshì.
He passed the exam.
neutral
Common phrases with 考试
Synonyms
Don't confuse 考试 with
考虑 means 'to consider / think over.' Same first character 考 (to examine) but different meaning. 我考虑一下 = 'let me think it over'; 我考试 = 'I take an exam.'
FAQ
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