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作法 (zuò fǎ) — Dao. resort to magic arts; legislate; make laws; way of doing/making sth.; method/style; course of action; practice

Definition

Two distinct senses share this spelling: in Daoist usage, 'to perform magic/rituals' (见例2); in general usage, 'a method, practice, or course of action' (见例1), or 'to legislate' (见例3). Tone/sense must be read from context.

verb
Dao. resort to magic artslegislatemake lawsway of doing/making sth.method/stylecourse of actionpractice

Examples

  • 作法。
    Zhè zhǒng zuò fǎ zài mín jiān hěn cháng jiàn.
    This kind of practice is very common among the people.
  • 。
    Nà wèi dào shi zài miào lǐ zuò le yí cì fǎ.
    That Taoist priest performed a magic ritual at the temple.
  • 作法。
    Quán guó rén dà zhèng zài zuò fǎ xīn de jīng jì fǎ guī.
    The National People's Congress is legislating new economic regulations.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

作zuòmake/do
法fǎlaw/method

作 means make or do, and 法 refers to law or method, giving senses like make laws or a way of doing.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
廌廌zhìa type of antelope or caprid
Sound part声符shēngfú
盍
盍hé法fǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

法's older form combined 氵 (water) and 廌 (a type of antelope or caprid), with 盍 as a sound part; later 廌 was dropped.

Open 法 →
Appears in
Abstract ConceptsLaw & Justice

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