Definition
理科 (lǐ kē) refers to the natural sciences (e.g., physics, chemistry, biology) as an academic field. It is distinct from 工科 (gōng kē), which is engineering — the practical application of science. In Chinese education, 理科 is often paired with 文科 (liberal arts) as the two main tracks.
noun
the sciences (as an academic field, as opposed to the humanities or liberal arts)
Easily confused
- 立刻lì kèsound-alikeimmediately, at once, right away
Examples
- 理科，。Tā gāozhōng shí xuǎn de shì lǐ kē, suǒyǐ dàxué dú le huàxué.He chose the sciences in high school, so he studied chemistry in college.
- 理科。lǐ kē hé wénkē de kǎoshì fāngshì bú tài yíyàng.The exam formats for the sciences and the humanities are quite different.
- 理科。Xué lǐ kē de xuésheng tōngcháng luóji sīwéi bǐjiào qiáng.Students who study the sciences usually have stronger logical thinking.
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