作乱 (zuò luàn) — to stage an armed rebellion; to rebel

Definition

A formal, literary verb meaning 'to stage an armed rebellion,' used in historical writing rather than everyday speech. Stronger than 造反, which covers any resistance or revolt.

verb
to stage an armed rebellionto rebel

Examples

  • ，作乱，。
    Gǔ dài lì shǐ shàng, xǔ duō rén dōu céng zuò luàn, dàn zuì zhōng shī bài le.
    In ancient history, many people rebelled but ultimately failed.
  • 作乱，。
    Pàn luàn fēn zǐ zài chéng zhōng zuò luàn, yǐn qǐ le dà hùn luàn.
    The rebels staged an armed rebellion in the city, causing great chaos.
  • 作乱，。
    Tā yīn wèi bù mǎn tǒng zhì ér zuò luàn, bèi lì shǐ jì zǎi wèi yīng xióng.
    He rebelled due to dissatisfaction with the rule and was recorded in history as a hero.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

作zuòmake
乱luànrebellion

作乱 pairs 作 (make) with 乱 (rebellion), so the action is to stir up disorder.

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 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 亂; 乱 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
乚Written in full as乙yǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
𤔔
𤔔𤔔亂luàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 亂 contains 𤔔, a drawing of combing tangled threads, and 乙; the simplified 乱 is only a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 乱 →

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