Lesson 14: Education System

Overview

China's education system is one of the most discussed topics in Chinese society and in international conversation about China. To engage with this topic you need the vocabulary for the stages of education (high school, the Gaokao, university, graduate school), as well as the grammatical tools for discussing how things are achieved (通过 + means) and what success depends on (依靠). The high-stakes nature of 高考 (the national college entrance exam) makes education a constant topic in family discussions, media, and policy debate.

Learning Objectives

Discuss China's education system with accurate vocabulary from primary school through doctoral study.
Use 通过 correctly to express means of achieving something.
Use 依靠 to express reliance on a method, person, or resource.
Describe the 高考 system and discuss opinions about it.

Vocabulary

Character	Pinyin	Type	Meaning	Example
高考	gāokǎo	n	national college entrance exam	参加高考
大学	dàxué	n	university, college	考上大学
录取	lùqǔ	v	to admit, enroll	被录取
专业	zhuānyè	n/adj	major, specialty; professional	选择专业
研究生	yánjiūshēng	n	graduate student	考研究生
博士	bóshì	n	PhD, doctorate	攻读博士
奖学金	jiǎngxuéjīn	n	scholarship	申请奖学金
成绩	chéngjì	n	grade, score, result	提高成绩
竞争	jìngzhēng	v/n	to compete; competition	竞争激烈
素质	sùzhì	n	quality, overall ability	综合素质
升学	shēngxué	v	to advance to a higher school	升学压力
基础	jīchǔ	n	foundation, basics	打好基础
培养	péiyǎng	v	to cultivate, develop	培养能力
实践	shíjiàn	n/v	practice, experience; to practice	理论与实践

Grammar Focus

Pattern 1: 通过 + Means + Verb / 通过...的方式

Structure: 通过 + [means NP or gerund phrase] + [achieve something]

通过 means "through the means of" or "by means of." It introduces how something is accomplished. The means can be a noun, a verb phrase, or a 的方式 construction.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
他通过努力学习，考上了北京大学。	Tā tōngguò nǔlì xuéxí, kǎo shàng le Běijīng Dàxué.	Through hard study, he got into Peking University.
学生可以通过参加课外活动来培养综合素质。	Xuésheng kěyǐ tōngguò cānjiā kèwài huódòng lái péiyǎng zōnghé sùzhì.	Students can cultivate their overall abilities through participating in extracurricular activities.
她通过自学的方式掌握了编程技能。	Tā tōngguò zìxué de fāngshì zhǎngwò le biānchéng jìnéng.	She mastered programming skills through self-study.

Common mistake: Do not confuse 通过 with 经过. 经过 means "after going through" a time period or process (经过三年努力 = after three years of effort). 通过 focuses on the means used, not the time elapsed.

Pattern 2: 依靠 + Means / 依靠...来 + Achieve

Structure: 依靠 + [resource/method/person] + (来) + [achieve goal]

依靠 emphasizes reliance on something. It implies that the success would not have been possible without that specific resource. It is slightly more formal than 靠.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
很多学生依靠奖学金完成了大学学业。	Hěn duō xuésheng yīkào jiǎngxuéjīn wánchéng le dàxué xuéyè.	Many students completed their university studies by relying on scholarships.
他依靠扎实的基础知识通过了考试。	Tā yīkào zhāshí de jīchǔ zhīshì tōngguò le kǎoshì.	He passed the exam by relying on his solid foundational knowledge.
教育改革不能只依靠政策，还需要社会各界的共同支持。	Jiàoyù gǎigé bù néng zhǐ yīkào zhèngcè, hái xūyào shèhuì gè jiè de gòngtóng zhīchí.	Education reform cannot rely only on policy; it also needs support from all sectors of society.

Pattern 3: Passive with 被录取/被选中

In education context, 被 passives are common when describing admissions outcomes.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
她以优异的成绩被复旦大学录取了。	Tā yǐ yōuyì de chéngjì bèi Fùdàn Dàxué lùqǔ le.	She was admitted to Fudan University with outstanding grades.
他的论文被评为优秀学术成果。	Tā de lùnwén bèi píng wéi yōuxiù xuéshù chéngguǒ.	His thesis was selected as an outstanding academic achievement.

Dialogue

Context: A parent and a teacher discussing the student's path to university.

A: 小华今年参加高考，您觉得她有多大把握？
Xiǎo Huá jīnnián cānjiā gāokǎo, nín juéde tā yǒu duō dà bǎwò?
Xiao Hua is taking the Gaokao this year. How confident do you think she is?

B: 她的基础很扎实，通过这一年的系统复习，进步非常明显。
Tā de jīchǔ hěn zhāshí, tōngguò zhè yī nián de xìtǒng fùxí, jìnbù fēicháng míngxiǎn.
Her foundation is very solid. Through this year of systematic review, her progress has been very obvious.

A: 她很依靠老师的指导，在家自学的时间不多。
Tā hěn yīkào lǎoshī de zhǐdǎo, zài jiā zìxué de shíjiān bù duō.
She relies heavily on the teacher's guidance and doesn't spend much time studying independently at home.

B: 这是需要改善的地方。大学之后更需要依靠自主学习，提前培养这个能力很重要。
Zhè shì xūyào gǎishàn de dìfang. Dàxué zhīhòu gèng xūyào yīkào zìzhǔ xuéxí, tíqián péiyǎng zhège nénglì hěn zhòngyào.
That is an area that needs improvement. After university, you need to rely even more on self-directed learning. It's important to develop this ability early.

A: 她想学医学专业，但竞争非常激烈，不容易被录取。
Tā xiǎng xué yīxué zhuānyè, dàn jìngzhēng fēicháng jīliè, bù róngyì bèi lùqǔ.
She wants to study medicine, but competition is very fierce and it's not easy to get admitted.

B: 是的，医学专业对高考成绩要求很高。但通过努力，一切都有可能。
Shì de, yīxué zhuānyè duì gāokǎo chéngjì yāoqiú hěn gāo. Dàn tōngguò nǔlì, yīqiē dōu yǒu kěnéng.
Yes, medical programs have very high score requirements for the Gaokao. But through hard work, everything is possible.

A: 如果这次没考上理想的学校，她还有可能走研究生的路吗？
Rúguǒ zhè cì méi kǎo shàng lǐxiǎng de xuéxiào, tā hái yǒu kěnéng zǒu yánjiūshēng de lù ma?
If she doesn't get into her ideal school this time, is it still possible for her to pursue graduate study?

B: 当然。通过努力学习，本科毕业后完全可以考研究生，甚至继续攻读博士。成绩不是终点，综合素质才是长远发展的基础。
Dāngrán. Tōngguò nǔlì xuéxí, běnkē bìyè hòu wánquán kěyǐ kǎo yánjiūshēng, shènzhì jìxù gōngdú bóshì. Chéngjì bú shì zhōngdiǎn, zōnghé sùzhì cái shì cháng yuǎn fāzhǎn de jīchǔ.
Of course. Through hard study, after completing an undergraduate degree she can absolutely pursue graduate school and even continue to pursue a doctorate. Grades are not the endpoint; overall quality is the foundation for long-term development.

Extended Reading

中国的高考制度是世界上规模最大的统一考试之一，每年有超过一千万学生参加。通过高考，学生可以进入不同层次的大学，开始自己的专业学习。依靠这一制度，中国在过去几十年里培养了大量高素质人才，推动了社会的快速发展。然而，高考也带来了巨大的升学压力，许多学生和家庭为此承受了很大的心理负担。近年来，教育改革开始强调综合素质的重要性，鼓励学生通过多种方式展现自己的才能，不仅仅依靠考试成绩来决定未来。

Zhōngguó de gāokǎo zhìdù shì shìjiè shàng guīmó zuì dà de tǒngyī kǎoshì zhī yī, měi nián yǒu chāoguò yīqiān wàn xuésheng cānjiā. Tōngguò gāokǎo, xuésheng kěyǐ jìnrù bùtóng céngcì de dàxué, kāishǐ zìjǐ de zhuānyè xuéxí. Yīkào zhè yī zhìdù, Zhōngguó zài guòqù jǐ shí nián lǐ péiyǎng le dàliàng gāo sùzhì réncái, tuīdòng le shèhuì de kuàisù fāzhǎn. Rán'ér, gāokǎo yě dài lái le jùdà de shēngxué yālì, xǔduō xuésheng hé jiātíng wèicǐ chéngshòu le hěn dà de xīnlǐ fùdān.

China's Gaokao system is one of the world's largest unified examinations, with more than ten million students participating each year. Through the Gaokao, students can enter universities of different levels and begin their specialized studies. Relying on this system, China has trained a large number of high-quality talents over the past few decades, driving rapid social development. However, the Gaokao has also brought enormous pressure for academic advancement, with many students and families bearing a heavy psychological burden as a result.

Practice

Exercise 1: Fill in 通过 or 依靠.

她___自己的努力，获得了全额奖学金。
___参加实习，学生可以获得实践经验。
这个孩子太___父母了，需要学会独立。

Exercise 2: Describe the education path shown below in Chinese sentences.

高考 → 大学录取 → 选择专业 → 本科毕业 → 考研究生 → 博士

Exercise 3: Write your opinion on the Gaokao system (5-6 sentences). Use 通过, 依靠, and at least two vocabulary items from the lesson.

Cultural Note

The pressure surrounding 高考 is difficult to overstate. In the weeks before the exam, families coordinate elaborate support routines: moving to hotels near testing centers, avoiding any disruption to the student's schedule, and in some cities, traffic is rerouted around exam venues. 高考 is widely compared to a single-day judgment of years of effort, which is both its legitimizing function (it is seen as meritocratic) and its most criticized feature (one exam determines much of a young person's life trajectory). This cultural weight makes 高考 one of the most emotionally charged topics in Chinese family and public discourse.