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协作 (xié zuò) — cooperate, collaborate

Definition

协作 emphasizes organized, coordinated teamwork toward a shared goal — more formal and structured than everyday 合作. Compare also 协同, a close synonym used in institutional or technical contexts.

verb
cooperatecollaborate

Examples

  • 协作。
    Liǎng gè tuán duì zhèng zài xié zuò yán fā xīn chǎn pǐn.
    Two teams are collaborating to develop new products.
  • 协作。
    Wǒ men xū yào gèng hǎo dì xié zuò cái néng chéng gōng.
    We need to cooperate better in order to succeed.
  • 协作，。
    Tā men xié zuò le duō nián, jiàn lì le hù xìn.
    They have cooperated for many years and built mutual trust.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

协xiécooperate
作zuòwork

协 means cooperating, and 作 means working, giving the idea of people working together.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 協; 协 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 協 uses 劦, meaning 'to collaborate', plus 十 for sound; the simplified 协 is a later shorthand.

Open 协 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Workplace & Office

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