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造作 (zào zuō) — to make, to manufacture (formal or literary)

Definition

A formal, literary verb for 'to make / to craft', used for handcrafted or artistic objects. It emphasizes careful, skilled workmanship rather than routine production — a much more literary choice than the everyday 做.

verb
to maketo manufacture (formal or literary)

Examples

  • 造作。
    Zhè xiē jīng měi de cí qì dōu shì shǒu gōng zào zuō de.
    These exquisite porcelain pieces are all handmade.
  • 造作。
    Gǔ rén yòng qīng tóng zào zuō le xǔ duō lǐ qì.
    Ancient people used bronze to make many ritual vessels.
  • 造作。
    Tā huā le sān nián shí jiān zào zuō zhè jiàn yì shù pǐn.
    He spent three years crafting this artwork.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

造zàomake
作zuòdo/make

造作 joins 造, make, with 作, do/make, to mean manufacture.

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
辵辵chuòto walk
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
屮
屮chè造zào
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Its origin is unclear, but early forms of 造 include 辵 (to walk) and 口, with 屮 as a sound part, and mean go or arrive.

Open 造 →

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
Industry & Manufacturing

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