TongTong
Sign in

作为 (zuò wéi) — one's conduct, deed, action (especially with moral implication)

Definition

As a noun, 作为 refers specifically to a person's conduct or deeds with a moral judgment attached (good or bad character). Unlike 行为 (neutral behavior) and 事迹 (admirable achievements), it implies evaluating what someone has done.

one's conductdeedaction (especially with moral implication)

Examples

  • 作为。
    Tā de zuò wéi lìng rén jìng pèi.
    His conduct is admirable.
  • 作为。
    Lì shǐ shàng de zuò wéi zhí dé fǎn sī.
    The deeds in history are worth reflecting on.
  • 作为。
    Yí gè rén de zuò wéi jué dìng le tā de shēng yù.
    A person's conduct determines their reputation.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

作zuòdo
为wèiact

作为 joins 作 and 为, both meaning to do or act, into conduct or an action.

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
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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-91000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsAbstract Concepts2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.