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找事 (zhǎo shì) — to look for work, to find a job (colloquial); to deliberately pick a quarrel, to cause trouble

Definition

找事 has two colloquial senses: 'to look for a job' (≈ 找工作) and 'to deliberately pick a quarrel' — the second sense is negative, meaning to provoke trouble.

verb
to look for workto find a job (colloquial)to deliberately pick a quarrelto cause trouble

Examples

  • 。
    Tā zhǎo le yí fèn hěn qīng xián de shì.
    He found a very easy job.
  • 找事。
    Tā zuì jìn zhèng zài zhǎo shì.
    He's currently looking for a job.
  • 找事，。
    Nǐ bié gù yì zhǎo shì, hǎo hǎo shuō huà.
    Don't pick a quarrel deliberately; speak properly.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

找zhǎoseek
事shìjob/trouble

找 means seek and 事 means job or trouble, so it describes seeking a job or seeking trouble.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
戈
戈gē找zhǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

找 pairs 扌 (hand) with 戈 as a sound part. The idea that it shows a hand looking for a halberd is only a memory trick.

Open 找 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Open 事 →
Appears in
Conflict & AgreementProfessions & Jobs

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