‘考核’ (kǎo hé) is a formal noun meaning ‘performance evaluation’ or ‘assessment’. It combines two characters: 考 (kǎo), meaning ‘to examine, test, or inspect’, and 核 (hé), meaning ‘to verify, check, or confirm’. Together, they emphasize a systematic, official process of reviewing someone’s work quality, competence, or compliance—often in professional, educational, or institutional settings. Unlike casual feedback, 考核 implies structure, criteria, and often consequences (e.g., promotion, certification, or corrective action).

This term is commonly used in workplaces (e.g., annual employee evaluations), schools (e.g., teacher performance reviews), healthcare (e.g., evaluating clinical staff adherence to protocols), and government agencies. It carries a neutral-to-formal register and rarely appears in informal speech. While it can apply to objects or systems (e.g., equipment safety checks), its most frequent use involves human performance and accountability.