作战 (zuò zhàn) — to fight; to engage in combat | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Formal/strategic 'to engage in combat' — used for troops, operations, or large-scale efforts (e.g. 与疾病作战). More formal and operational than the everyday 打仗; broader and more abstract than the noun 战斗.

verb

to fightto engage in combat

Examples

作战。
Bù duì zhèng zài qián fāng zuò zhàn.
The troops are fighting at the front.
作战。
Kē xué jiā zhèng zài yǔ jí bìng zuò zhàn.
Scientists are fighting against disease.
作战。
Zhè cì zuò zhàn xū yào xiáng xì de jì huà.
This operation requires a detailed plan.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

作zuòcarry out

“作” (carry out) and “战” (battle) combine to mean carry out battle.

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.

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

占戈战

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

占

占zhàn战zhàn

Same sound today

战 pairs 占, which gives its sound, with 戈, a weapon.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Military & Defense 5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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