作息 (zuò xī) — to work and rest; to carry out a daily routine | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

作息 means one's daily routine of working and resting. It usually appears with 规律 ("regular routine") or 按时 ("on schedule") rather than standing alone as a verb.

verb

to work and restto carry out a daily routine

Examples

作息。
Měi tiān àn shí zuò xī duì shēn tǐ hěn yǒu hǎo chù.
Working and resting on time every day is very good for your health.
。
Tā de zuò xī shí jiān fēi cháng gù dìng.
His daily schedule is very fixed.
作息。
Guī lǜ zuò xī néng ràng nǐ jīng lì gèng chōng pèi.
A regular daily routine can make you more energetic.

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” (work) and “息” (rest) together mean work and rest.

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.

亻乍作

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.

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

自心息

自自zìnose
心心xīnheart

In 息, 自 is nose and 心 is heart, showing breath or life passing through one's nose.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Daily Routine

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