作
zuò
to do; to engage in
to write; to compose; to pretend; to feign; to regard as; to consider to be; to be; to act the part of; to feel (itchy, nauseous etc); writings; works
person (亻) + sudden action (乍) = to create and act
The combination captures human creative action—people suddenly bringing things into being through deliberate effort. This covers everything from writing and composing to pretending and acting, all forms of conscious human making.
他正在作一首新歌。
tā zhèng zài zuò yī shǒu xīn gē。
He is composing a new song.
你不能把他的沉默作为同意的理由。
nǐ bù néng bǎ tā de chén mò zuò wéi tóng yì de lǐ yóu。
You cannot regard his silence as a reason for agreement.
Words with 作
作乐
zuò lè
to make merry
寻欢作乐
xún huān zuò lè
pleasure seeking (idiom); life of dissipation
通力合作
tōng lì hé zuò
to join forces
通讯作者
tōng xùn zuò zhě
corresponding author (of an academic paper)
造作
zào zuò
affected
造山作用
zào shān zuò yòng
orogeny (geology)
逢场作戏
féng chǎng zuò xì
lit. find a stage, put on a comedy (idiom); to join in the fun
运作
yùn zuò
to operate
遥控操作
yáo kòng cāo zuò
remote operation
远端工作
yuǎn duān gōng zuò
to telecommute; to work remotely
遗作
yí zuò
posthumous work
酵解作用
jiào jiě zuò yòng
zymolysis