作 (zuò) - to make & to do
作Tone 4
zuò ｜ 7 strokes ｜ radical: 亻
作 · zuò
to make;
to do;
to act;
to work;
to write;
to compose;
to regard as;
to take for;
to pretend;
to feign
to maketo doto act
Usage highlights
workcooperateauthormasterpiecehomeworkpretend
Usage & contexts
Examples
- He works in a factory (在工厂工作).
- This is my masterpiece (这是我的作品).
- We need to cooperate (我们需要合作).
- The author is writing a novel (作者在写小说).
Collocations
- work(工作)
- cooperate(合作)
- author(作者)
- masterpiece(作品)
- homework(作业)
- pretend(装作)
Idioms
- To make a fool of oneself(自作聪明)
- To bring trouble on oneself(自作自受)
- To die a natural death(寿终正寝)
- To act according to circumstances(见机而作)
- To regard death as going home(视死如归)
Cultural background
FAQ- Originally depicted a person making or building something, showing human creative activity.
- Frequently used in compound words related to work, creation, and cooperation in modern Chinese.
- Appears in many philosophical contexts about human action and its consequences.