Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026
教训(教訓)jiàoxùn(jiao4xun4)
教训 (jiàoxùn) refers to a lesson learned from experience, often with a moral implication. It can also mean to reprimand or lecture someone to impart a lesson, emphasizing the importance of learning from mistakes or experiences.
Frequency#2159DifficultyMedium
Cultural Note
In Chinese culture, teaching lessons often incorporates moral tales from history or literature, such as the stories of Confucius, where the focus is on learning from past mistakes to improve one's character and behavior.
Memory Tip
Imagine a teacher (教) giving a stern lecture (训) to students, pointing out mistakes they made in a test. The visual of the teacher’s finger wagging helps connect the sound 'jiao' with teaching a lesson and 'xun' with the act of lecturing.
Meanings of 教训
jiàoxùn(jiao4xun4)
1lesson
2moral
Exercise 1 of 2
Listen & Choose the Meaning
Choose the correct answer:
About 教训
教训Simplified
教訓Traditional
—Strokes
—Radical
名动词dòngcíverb-noun (v.-n.)Part of Speech
#2159Frequency Rank
HSK 2.0L5HSK 3.0L6IntermediateTOCFLL4HSKKL2CEFRB1
Podcast: 教训
Podcast: 教训
Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you
New here?
AI Study Notes for 教训
Quick Contrast
教导 (jiàodǎo) vs 教训 (jiàoxùn): Use 教导 when focusing on the act of teaching or guiding someone, while 教训 emphasizes the lesson learned from an experience, often with a moral implication.
Memory Mnemonic
Imagine a teacher (教) giving a stern lecture (训) to students, pointing out mistakes they made in a test. The visual of the teacher’s finger wagging helps connect the sound 'jiao' with teaching a lesson and 'xun' with the act of lecturing.
Usage Notes
Common mistakes include confusing 教训 with 经验 (jīngyàn), which means experience; remember that 教训 often implies a lesson learned from a mistake. It is typically used in slightly formal contexts when discussing moral or corrective lessons.
HSK Study Tips
As an HSK 5 vocabulary word, 教训 is important for discussing experiences and moral teachings. Students should focus on its usage in both literal and figurative contexts, as well as its collocation with verbs like '得到' (to obtain) or '领悟' (to comprehend).
Cultural Note
In Chinese culture, teaching lessons often incorporates moral tales from history or literature, such as the stories of Confucius, where the focus is on learning from past mistakes to improve one's character and behavior.
Common Mistakes
Learners often misuse 教训 to mean just 'lesson' in a neutral sense, overlooking its moral connotation. For example, saying '我上了一课' (I took a lesson) instead of '我得到了教训' (I learned a lesson) can make the meaning less impactful.
AI-enhanced 2026-03-24
Pronunciation of 教训
Premium — Locked
AI tone practice
Pro
Drill the tone of 教训 with AI-powered exercises, get instant feedback, and earn XP toward mastery. Interactive tone practice is part of Pro.
New here? to save your writing progress and earn XP.
Practice writing 教训 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.
Write correctly 3 times to earn XP
Grammar Patterns of 教训
教训 functions as a verb — the action or state of the sentence. The Chinese order is Subject + Verb + Object (我吃饭). Negate it with 不 (habitual / future) or 没(有) (completed action). Add aspect markers like 了, 过, 着 directly after the verb. It carries 4 related meanings, each with its own usage notes below. The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.
Looking back helps insofar as it helps you learn from your mistakes.
5
如果她发现你还在这儿，她会狠狠地教训我。
rú guǒ tā fā xiàn nǐ huán zài zhè ér， ， tā huì hěn hěn dì jiào xùn。
She'll crucify me if she finds you still here.
6
我们教训他时，他从来不听。
wǒ mén jiào xùn tā shí， ， tā cóng lái bù。
He never listened to us when we told him off.
7
他的经验教训,不过是舱内那批孜孜不倦的夜校学生中多数人的经验教训罢了.
tā de jīng yàn jiào xùn, , bù guò shì cāng nèi nà pī zī zī bù juàn de yè xiào xué shēng zhōng duō shù rén de jīng yàn jiào xùn bà.
His experience was only the experience of the majority of that industrious night - school in the cabin.
Cultural Notes for 教训
🏮Cultural insight
In Chinese culture, teaching lessons often incorporates moral tales from history or literature, such as the stories of Confucius, where the focus is on learning from past mistakes to improve one's character and behavior.
Frequently Asked Questions about 教训
Yes, it can be used to discuss lessons learned from personal experiences, though it may sound a bit formal.
Yes, 教训 implies a moral lesson often learned from mistakes, while 课 refers more to a subject or class.
You can say, '从这次的错误中，我学到了一个重要的教训' (I learned an important lesson from this mistake).
