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新作 (xīn zuō) — new work (a newly created artistic or literary piece)

Definition

noun
new work (a newly created artistic or literary piece)
Measure word · 部

Examples

  • 新作。
    Tā de xīn zuō shòu dào hěn duō dú zhě de xǐ ài.
    His new work is loved by many readers.
  • 新作。
    Zhè wèi zuò jiā de xīn zuō xià ge yuè jiù yào chū bǎn le.
    This writer's new work will be published next month.
  • 新作。
    Zhǎn lǎn tīng lǐ zhǎn chū le zhè wèi yì shù jiā de zuì xīn xīn zuō.
    The exhibition hall displays the artist's latest new work.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

新xīnnew
作zuòwork

新 (new) and 作 (work) combine to mean a newly created artistic or literary work.

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.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
斤斤jīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
辛
辛xīn新xīn
Same sound today

The shape originally paired 斤, for chopping wood, with 辛 for sound. It was borrowed for its sound to write 新, so the chopping-wood parts are unrelated to 'new'.

Open 新 →

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 →
Appears in
Art & Fine ArtsLiterature & Poetry

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