毕业 (bì yè) means 'to graduate' — specifically, to successfully complete a course of study at a school, college, or university. The character 毕 (bì) means 'to finish' or 'to conclude', and 业 (yè) means 'study', 'course', or 'academic work'; together, they literally convey 'the completion of one's studies'. It is most commonly used in formal educational contexts, such as graduating from high school, university, or a training program.

This word functions primarily as a verb and often appears with time markers (e.g., 上个月毕业了), subject-verb-object structures (e.g., 她明年毕业), or as part of noun phrases like 毕业典礼 (graduation ceremony) or 毕业生 (graduate). While it can occasionally be used metaphorically (e.g., 'graduating' from a job training program), it is not used for informal learning or hobbies — those would use terms like 完成 or 结束 instead.