力作 (lì zuò) — masterpiece, outstanding work

Definition

noun

masterpieceoutstanding work

力作。
Zhè běn xiǎo shuō shì tā de dài biǎo lì zuò.
This novel is his representative masterpiece.
力作。
Zhè bù diàn yǐng bèi chēng wéi zhōng guó diàn yǐng de lì zuò.
This film is considered a masterpiece of Chinese cinema.
力作。
Tā yòng le shí nián shí jiān wán chéng le zhè bù lì zuò.
He spent ten years completing this masterpiece.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

The effort in 力 and the work in 作 combine to mean a masterpiece made with great skill.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

力 is drawn as either an arm bending out from the side of the body or a wooden plough.

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

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.