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作恶 (zuò è) — to do evil, to commit evil deeds

Definition

作恶 (zuò è) is a formal/written verb meaning 'to do evil, to commit wrongdoing', used in moral, legal, or literary contexts. Most often appears as 作恶的人 ('a person who does evil') or in fixed phrases like 作恶多端.

verb
to do evilto commit evil deeds

Examples

  • 。
    Tā cóng lái bú zuò zuò è.
    He never does evil.
  • 。
    Tā céng jīng zuò guò hěn duō è.
    He has done many evil things in the past.
  • 。
    Zuò è de rén zuì zhōng huì shòu dào chéng fá.
    Those who do evil will eventually be punished.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

作zuòdo
恶èevil

作 means to do, and 恶 means evil: to do evil deeds.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 惡; 恶 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
亞
亞yā惡è
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 惡 pairs 心 (heart) as the meaning part with 亞 (yā) as the sound part; the simplified 恶 is a later shorthand.

Open 恶 →
Appears in
Crime & Police

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