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有所作为 (yǒu suǒ zuò wéi) — to achieve something, to make one's mark, to accomplish significant things

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'to achieve something notable / make one's mark' through effort. It frames accomplishment as a goal worth pursuing, not a casual success.

idiom
to achieve somethingto make one's markto accomplish significant things

Examples

  • 有所作为。
    Tā xī wàng zài kē yán lǐng yù yǒu suǒ zuò wéi.
    He hopes to make his mark in the field of scientific research.
  • 有所作为。
    Měi gè rén dōu yīng gāi zài nián qīng shí nǔ lì yǒu suǒ zuò wéi.
    Everyone should strive to achieve something when they are young.
  • 有所作为，。
    Zhè ge zǔ zhī zài guò qù shí nián lǐ yǒu suǒ zuò wéi, gǎi biàn le dāng dì de jiào yù zhuàng kuàng.
    This organization has accomplished great things over the past decade, transforming the local education situation.

Origin

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
肉肉ròumeat
Sound part声符shēngfú
又
又yòu有yǒu
Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

Open 有 →

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
斤斤jīnaxe
Sound part声符shēngfú
戶
戶hù所suǒ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

所 pairs 斤, an axe, with 戶, which gives the sound hù; the old meaning was the sound of logging.

Open 所 →

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 為; 为 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 為 showed a hand holding an elephant; the simplified 为 is a later shorthand.

Open 为 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesSuccess & Failure

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