高中

The Chinese word 高中 (gāozhōng) is composed of two characters: 高 (gāo), meaning "high" or "tall," and 中 (zhōng), meaning "middle" or "center." Together, these characters form the term "high school," which refers to a secondary school that typically follows middle school and precedes college or university.The character 高 (gāo) has a long history in Chinese, dating back to the oracle bone script of the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BCE). In its original form, the character depicted a person standing on a high platform, symbolizing elevation or superiority. Over time, the character evolved to take on its current form, which is composed of the radical 阜 (fù), meaning "mound" or "hill," and the phonetic component 羔 (gāo), which represents the sound.The character 中 (zhōng) also has a rich history, dating back to the oracle bone script of the Shang dynasty. In its original form, the character depicted a person standing in the center of a circle, symbolizing centrality or equilibrium. Over time, the character evolved to take on its current form, which is composed of the radical 口 (kǒu), meaning "mouth" or "opening," and the phonetic component 中 (zhōng), which represents the sound.When combined, the characters 高 (gāo) and 中 (zhōng) form the term 高中 (gāozhōng), which literally means "high middle." This term is used to refer to high school, a level of education that is considered to be higher than middle school but lower than college or university. In China, high school typically lasts for three years and is followed by the gaokao, a highly competitive national college entrance examination.