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作 (zuō) — (colloquial) to act up, to make trouble, to be fussy or high-maintenance

Definition

Read zuō (NOT zuò) in this colloquial sense meaning to act up or be difficult — a casual, pejorative label for a fussy, high-maintenance person. Used only in informal speech to criticize someone's troublesome behavior.

verb
(colloquial) to act upto make troubleto be fussy or high-maintenance

Examples

  • 作，。
    Tā tài zuō le, dà jiā dōu bù xǐ huan tā.
    He is too high-maintenance; nobody likes him.
  • 作，！
    Bié zuō le, hǎo hǎo chī fàn!
    Stop acting up and eat your meal properly!
  • 作，。
    Tā yòu zài zuō, zhēn ràng rén tóu téng.
    She's making trouble again, such a headache.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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.

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