做活 (zuò huó) — to do manual labor; to work (especially physical work); to do needlework; to sew

Definition

做活 (zuò huó) means 'to do manual work' (esp. physical labor, sewing, factory work) — a more colloquial, activity-focused term than the general 工作.

verb
to do manual laborto work (especially physical work)to do needleworkto sew

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā zuò le yì tiān de huó, hěn lèi.
    He worked for a whole day and is very tired.
  • 做活，。
    Nǎi nai xǐ huan zuò huó, cháng cháng gěi sūn zi zuò yī fu.
    Grandma likes to do needlework; she often makes clothes for her grandson.
  • 做活，。
    Tā zài gōng chǎng zuò huó, měi tiān dōu hěn máng.
    He works at a factory and is busy every day.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

做zuòdo
活huówork

做 (do) and 活 (work) combine to mean doing manual work.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 做 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑活huó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

活 is built from 氵 (water) and 𠯑, which shows the sound; 𠯑 later changed into 舌.

Open 活 →

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