<p>So I checked <a href="http://www.hydcd.com/cd/htm_a/28366.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Cihai</em></a> and it specifically says <code>上課</code> goes both ways:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>教師講課或學生聽課 <br>
To teach a class, or to attend a class</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The subject is 'Professor Wang' (<code>王教授</code>). The verb is 'to teach' (<code>上</code>, note: only makes sense when seeing <code>上課</code> together), the direct object is 'a lesson' (<code>課</code>), and the indirect object is 'those students' (<code>那兒的學生</code>), which in Chinese is marked by a second verb literally meaning 'to give' (<code>給</code>).</p>
<p>The second <code>上</code> still means 'to teach', with the direct object understood and omitted.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-20T10:29:56.627Z
2021-05-25T04:35:26.540Z
2021-05-25T04:35:26.540Z
L Parker
<p>他课<strong>上</strong>得非常好 = 他课<strong>教</strong>得非常好.</p>
<p>This is a subtle and idiomatic usage:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>for students, 上课= to attend class=听课; for teachers, 上课= to teach a course=教课. Now, your example sentence is about the Professor Wang, so 上课=教课.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Yet, from the angle of teachers, Chinese usually say 上课, instead of 教课, that is, if the verb 上 or 教 is located before the word 课 (the course), we prefer using the word &quot;上&quot;.</p>
</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-20T18:02:43.080Z
I think it  is 授课 instead of 教课
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-21T13:24:31.220Z
@TangHo Thank you for the comments! 上课 (general),  授课(general), 教数学(a subject), and 上数学课(a course of a subject). Yet 上 is very flexible in terms of both oral and written Chinese, while 授课 is formal and even a bit rigid in writing, e.g., we do not say 授数学 or 授数学课. Perhaps an alternate is 讲.
Royun
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-20T15:28:52.477Z
2021-05-20T15:45:10.363Z
2021-05-20T15:45:10.363Z
Royun
<blockquote>
<p>王教授给那儿的学生上英国文学课, 他课上得非常好, 学生都很喜欢她的课。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We may need to clear up 王教授's gender!</p>
<p>课上：in class</p>
<p>他课上得非常好<br />
he/his in class 得 very good<br />
he teaches/lectures very well</p>
<p>课上有大量阅读。<br />
There is lots of reading in class.</p>
<p>他在一次练习课上扭伤了背部。<br />
He strained his back in a practice session.</p>
<p>我们在生物课上解剖了一只青蛙。<br />
We dissected a frog in biology class.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-20T22:51:02.353Z
2021-05-20T22:51:02.353Z
Pedroski
<p>What's the purpose of 上 in the following sentence?</p>
<blockquote>
<p>王教授给那儿的学生<strong>上</strong>英国文学课, 他课<strong>上</strong>得非常好, 学生都很喜欢她的课</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Although I understand 上 can mean &quot;to attend (class)&quot;, I don't see how that fits in the above example.</p>
<p>In the first part of the sentence (王教授给那儿的学生上英国文学课), the only other verb is 给. There is no verb meaning &quot;to teach&quot;. Thus, in this case can 上 mean &quot;to teach&quot;?</p>
<p>In the middle part of the sentence (他课上得非常好), what is the meaning of 上? Does it just mean &quot;to go&quot; as in &quot;The class went very well&quot;?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-20T10:36:00.250Z
他课上得非常好 means 他课讲得非常好.
dan
<grammar><sentence-structure>
What's the purpose of 上 in "王教授给那儿的学生上英国文学课, 他课上得非常好"?
# What's the purpose of 上 in "王教授给那儿的学生上英国文学课, 他课上得非常好"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-05-20)

What's the purpose of 上 in the following sentence?

> 王教授给那儿的学生**上**英国文学课, 他课**上**得非常好, 学生都很喜欢她的课

Although I understand 上 can mean "to attend (class)", I don't see how that fits in the above example.

In the first part of the sentence (王教授给那儿的学生上英国文学课), the only other verb is 给. There is no verb meaning "to teach". Thus, in this case can 上 mean "to teach"?

In the middle part of the sentence (他课上得非常好), what is the meaning of 上? Does it just mean "to go" as in "The class went very well"?

**Tags:** grammar, sentence-structure
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 他课上得非常好 means 他课讲得非常好.  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-05-20. Score: 2

So I checked [*Cihai*](http://www.hydcd.com/cd/htm_a/28366.htm) and it specifically says `上課` goes both ways:

> 教師講課或學生聽課   
> To teach a class, or to attend a class

The subject is 'Professor Wang' (`王教授`). The verb is 'to teach' (`上`, note: only makes sense when seeing `上課` together), the direct object is 'a lesson' (`課`), and the indirect object is 'those students' (`那兒的學生`), which in Chinese is marked by a second verb literally meaning 'to give' (`給`).

The second `上` still means 'to teach', with the direct object understood and omitted.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2021-05-20. Score: 0

他课**上**得非常好 = 他课**教**得非常好.

This is a subtle and idiomatic usage:

1. for students, 上课= to attend class=听课; for teachers, 上课= to teach a course=教课. Now, your example sentence is about the Professor Wang, so 上课=教课.
2. Yet, from the angle of teachers, Chinese usually say 上课, instead of 教课, that is, if the verb 上 or 教 is located before the word 课 (the course), we prefer using the word "上".

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: I think it  is 授课 instead of 教课  
> **username_3**: @TangHo Thank you for the comments! 上课 (general),  授课(general), 教数学(a subject), and 上数学课(a course of a subject). Yet 上 is very flexible in terms of both oral and written Chinese, while 授课 is formal and even a bit rigid in writing, e.g., we do not say 授数学 or 授数学课. Perhaps an alternate is 讲.  

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### Answer by username_5 on 2021-05-20. Score: -2

> 王教授给那儿的学生上英国文学课, 他课上得非常好, 学生都很喜欢她的课。

We may need to clear up 王教授's gender!

课上：in class

他课上得非常好  
he/his in class 得 very good  
he teaches/lectures very well

课上有大量阅读。  
There is lots of reading in class.

他在一次练习课上扭伤了背部。  
He strained his back in a practice session.

我们在生物课上解剖了一只青蛙。  
We dissected a frog in biology class.


---

