Meaning of 初等
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- elementary (i.e. easy)
How to use 初等
初等 is a formal word used mostly in fixed terms about education and academic subjects, not for everyday things that are easy. Common examples are 初等教育 (chūděng jiàoyù, elementary education) and 初等数学 (chūděng shùxué, elementary mathematics). Example: 他在研究初等数论。(Tā zài yánjiū chūděng shùlùn.) He is studying elementary number theory.
初 (chū) means beginning and 等 (děng) means grade or level. Put them together and you get the beginning level, so 初等 means elementary or basic.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 初等 to mean easy in casual speech, as in 这个问题很初等, but people would say 简单 (jiǎndān) instead. Also do not confuse 初等 with 初级 (chūjí), which is the usual word for beginner level in courses, like 初级汉语.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
初 chū · at first · 7 strokes
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等 děng · to wait for · 12 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 初等.
| 等到 | děngdào | to wait until; by the time when (sth is ready etc) |
| 等于 | děngyú | to equal; to be tantamount to |
| 平等 | píngděng | equal; equality |
| 等待 | děngdài | to wait; to wait for |
| 当初 | dāngchū | at that time; originally |
| 初步 | chūbù | initial; preliminary |
| 初中 | chūzhōng | junior high school (abbr. for 初級中學|初级中学[chu1 ji2 zhong1 xue2]) |
| 初级 | chūjí | junior; primary |
| 年初 | niánchū | beginning of the year |
| 初一 | chūyī | first year in junior middle school; first day of a lunar month |
| 最初 | zuìchū | first; primary |
| 等候 | děnghòu | to wait; to wait for |
Questions about 初等
What does 初等 mean?
初等 (chūděng) means "elementary (i.e. easy)" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 初等?
初等 is made of 2 characters: 初 (7 strokes), 等 (12 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 初等 an HSK word?
Yes. 初等 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 初等 and 初级?
初等 appears mainly in formal academic or educational terms such as 初等教育 and 初等数学. 初级 is more common for levels of courses, skills or ranks, such as 初级班 (beginner class).
What is the opposite of 初等?
The usual counterparts are 中等 (zhōngděng, intermediate or secondary) and 高等 (gāoděng, advanced or higher). For example, 初等教育, 中等教育 and 高等教育 are primary, secondary and higher education.