Definition
教鞭 has two related senses: the literal pointer a teacher uses to point at the blackboard, and a classroom metaphor for the teaching career itself (as in 'to take up the pointer' = to start teaching). In modern classrooms, digital presenters have largely replaced physical pointers, but the metaphorical use remains common in educational writing.
n.
(teacher's) pointerstick used for pointing at a blackboardteaching career (metaphorical)
Examples
- 教鞭。Lǎoshī yòng jiāo zài hēibǎn shàng zhǐ chū zhōngyào de zì.The teacher used a pointer to indicate important characters on the blackboard.
- ，教鞭。Tā zhàn shàng jiǎngtái, kāishǐ le èrshí nián de jiāo shēngyá.He stepped onto the podium and began a twenty-year teaching career.
- 教鞭，。Fùqin xuǎnzé le jiāo zhè yī háng, cóngwèi hòuhuǐ guò.Father chose the teaching profession and never regretted it.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.