A middle school teacher in Panjin county, Liaoning province, was knifed to death by her eighth-grade student on Dec 14.

Zhu Lixia, who won the title of Outstanding Teacher multiple times, was in charge of the class the alleged assailant was in, according to a report published by Liaoshen, a news application affiliated with Liaoshen Evening News.

She was stabbed four times by the teacher's desk the morning of that day, with the fatal injuries being around her neck, according to the report.

The local government publicity department reached Thursday afternoon by China Daily has declined to comment.

The student, whose identity is not revealed, later attempted to jump off a building and kill himself, but failed.

His poker cards were confiscated by Zhu a day before the incident, according to Zhu's relatives. But Zhu's husband said she had not mentioned any argument between her and any student before the tragedy.

Zhu's husband is suffering from heart disease and was laid off years ago, and her 24-year-old son is currently looking for a job.

Zhu Fangjie contributed to this story.