check, school

校 is composed of 木 (wood) and 交 (cross). 木 signifies wooden tablets used for writing, while 交 is a pictograph depicting a person with crossed shins, implying crossing or overlapping, and extends to mean comparison. Thus, 校 originally refers to the correction of documents. Later, it came to denote a place for teaching and learning, as teachers calibrate students’ knowledge and abilities there.