作古 (zuò gǔ) — (euphemism, formal) to pass away, to die

Definition

A formal, written euphemism for 'to pass away' — far more literary than everyday words like 死. Use it in writing, obituaries, or historical narrative, not in conversation.

verb
(euphemism, formal) to pass awayto die

Examples

  • 作古。
    Zhè wèi lǎo zuò jiā yǐ yú qù nián zuò gǔ.
    This elderly writer passed away last year.
  • 。
    Tā zǔ fù zài kàng zhàn qī jiān zuò le gǔ.
    His grandfather passed away during the War of Resistance.
  • 作古。
    Shū zhōng jì zǎi le xǔ duō yīng xióng zuò gǔ de gù shi.
    The book records many stories of heroes passing away.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

作zuòbecome
古gǔancient

作 means to become, and 古 points to the ancient or departed; together they mean that someone has become one of the ancients.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
乍
乍zhà作zuò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left side 亻 comes from 人, meaning 'person', and the right side 乍 gives the sound.

Open 作 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

One reading of 古 sees a shield-like shape above an open mark, showing strength and firmness. Another sees a person spitting out bad-tasting food.

Open 古 →

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