verb HSK 2
to test · to examine · to take an exam
Meaning
考 means to test or examine, commonly used in educational contexts for taking tests or exams. It can refer to both the act of testing someone and taking a test yourself.
Usage
Most commonly appears in compounds like 考试 (kǎoshì, exam) or 高考 (gāokǎo, college entrance exam). As a standalone verb, it's often used with objects like 考你 (test you) or 考得好 (did well on the exam). Rarely used alone in modern Mandarin without context or additional characters.
Examples
- 01明天要考数学，我得好好复习。, .I have a math exam tomorrow, so I need to review well.
- 02他考上了北京大学。.He passed the exam and got into Peking University.
Measure words
- 次考了三次
Common collocations
- 考试to take an exam
- 考上to pass an exam and be admitted
- 考得好to do well on an exam
- 考不好to do poorly on an exam
Origin
Originally meant 'elderly' or 'deceased father' in classical Chinese. The testing/examination meaning developed from the idea of careful investigation or inquiry.