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作: to do; make

By October 17, 2013January 25th, 2015Chinese Word, Japanese Word, Language-Learning

 

作 zuò

(动) verb
: to do, make; grow; to write; to pretend; to feel

Kun Reading

作る | つくる tsukuru

godan verb with ru ending | transitive verb
: to make; produce; manufacture; build; construct;
: to prepare (food); brew (alcohol)
: to raise; grow; cultivate; train
: to till
: to draw up (a document); prepare; write
: to create (an artistic work, etc.); compose
: to coin (a phrase); organize; establish; found
: to have (a child)
: to make up (one’s face, etc.)
: to fabricate (an excuse, etc.)
: to form (a line, etc.)
: to set (a record)
: to commit (a sin, etc.)

作り | つくり tsukuri

noun
: making; producing; building; appearance

お作り otsukuri
make-up; sashimi

作り | づくり zukuri

suffix
: making; forming; cultivating; growing
: form; appearance

On Reading

作 | さく saku

noun
: a work; harvest

さ sa

 Usage:

作人 zuo4ren2: to conduct oneself; same as 做人 [さくじん sakujin: given name]
作業[业] zuo4ye4: homework; task [さぎょう sago: work; operation; fatigue duty]
作爲[为] zuo4wei2: one’s conduct; deed; achievement; 2take something 2b
[さくい saki: artificially; act; commission (of a crime)]
作用 zuo4yong4: to act on; to affect; action; function; purpose; effect
[さよう sayou: action; effect; function]
作詞[词] zuo4ci2: song writer; lyricist [さくし sakushi]
作品 zuo4pin3: work (of art); opus [さくひん sakuhin]
作者 zuo4zhe4: author; writer [さくしゃ sakusha]
作家 zuo4jia1: author; creator; novelist; artist [さっか sakka]
作文 zuo4wen2: to write an essay; composition [さくぶん sakubun: writing]
作法 zuo4fa3: method; practice; modus operandi
[さほう sahou: manners; etiquette; propriety]
作亂[乱] zuo4luan4: start a rebellion; to revolt
工作 gong1zuo4: to work; job/work [こうさく kousaku: work]

OR Japanese common term: 仕事 | しごと shigoto: work; job; employment; vocation; task

名作 ming2zuo4: masterpiece; famous work [めいさく meisaku]
合作 he2zuo4: to cooperate; to collaborate; to work together
[がっさく gassaku: collaboration; joint work]
創[创]作 chuang4zuo4: to create/produce; creative work
[そうさく sousaku: literary creation]
動[动]作 dong4zuo4: movement; action [どうさ dousa]
操作 cao1zuo4: to work; to operate; to manipulate
[そうさ sousa: operation; management; manipulating to one’s benefit]
發[发]作 fa1zuo4: to flare-up; to break out
副作用 fu4 zuo4 yong4: side effect [ふくさよう fukusayou]
創作力 chuang4zuo4 li4: originality
[そうさくりょく sousakuryoku: creative power; genius; creative originality]

Chinese idiom/saying
作威作福 zuo4 wei1 zuo4 fu2
: tyrannical abuse: riding roughshod over people
所作所為 suo3 zuo4 suo3 wei2
: one’s conduct and deeds
自作主張[张] zi4 zuo4 zhu3 zhang1
: to think for oneself and act accordingly: to act on one’s own initiative
自作聰[聪]明 zi4 zuo4 cong1 ming2
: to think oneself clever: self-styled genius; a smart aleck
裝模作樣[样] zhuang1 mo2 zuo4 yang4
: to put on an act: to show affectation; to indulge in histrionics

Japanese idiom/expression
科を作る | しなをつくる shina o tsukuru: to put on coquettish airs; to act flirtatiously; to act kittenish

 Etymology:


形声-R Pictophonetic-Reclarified.
亻 (ren2: person; radical 9) reclarifies the meaning while
(zha4/zuo4: 1st time) provides both meaning and sound.



 Examples:


我今天不想工作!
wo3 jin1tian1 bu4xiang gong1zuo4!
I don’t want to work today!

這個工作沒有酬勞。
zhe2ge gong1zuo4 mei2you3 chou2lao2.
This job has no pay.

Resources: Chinese Dictionary | Japanese Dictionary