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做客 (zuò kè) — to be a guest, to visit (someone's home)

Definition

做客 means to visit someone as their guest (go to their home). The 客 here is the visitor — contrast with 请客, where 客 is the person being treated to a meal.

verb
to be a guestto visit (someone's home)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 做客。
    Wǒ míng tiān qù péng you jiā zuò kè.
    I'm going to my friend's home as a guest tomorrow.
  • 做客？
    Nǐ shén me shí hou lái wǒ jiā zuò kè?
    When will you come to my home as a guest?
  • 。
    Wǒ zài tā jiā zuò le sān tiān kè.
    I was a guest at his home for three days.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

做zuòact as
客kèguest

做 (act as) + 客 (guest) describes being a guest at someone's home.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 做 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè客kè
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 客, 宀 is a roof and 各 gives the sound; the character meant a guest.

Open 客 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3Friends & SocialSocial Roles & Status

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