作战 (zuò zhàn) — to fight; to engage in combat

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
战zhànbattle

“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.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
戈戈gē
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn战zhàn
Same sound today

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

Open 战 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Military & Defense5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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