private school

塾 is composed of 孰 (who) and 土 (earth). 孰 depicts a person offering sacrifices at an ancestral temple, while 土 depicts a raised platform of earth on the ground. Therefore, 塾 conveys the idea of the earthen platform in front of an ancestral temple, a place that was often used for elementary education. The ancestral temple enshrines generations of ancestors; studying in front of it can make students especially diligent, so as not to feel ashamed before their ancestors or disappoint the expectations of the family.