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小动作 (xiǎo dòng zuō) — fidgety movements (made from restlessness or lack of focus); petty trick / underhanded maneuver (to gain personal advantage); (in sports) gamesmanship / minor foul done discreetly

Definition

A noun that covers two senses: literal 'fidgety movements' (a child squirming in class) and figurative 'petty trick / underhanded move' done discreetly to gain advantage, often in politics or sports.

noun
fidgety movements (made from restlessness or lack of focus)petty trick / underhanded maneuver (to gain personal advantage)(in sports) gamesmanship / minor foul done discreetly
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 小动作，。
    Zhè hái zi shàng kè zǒng zuò xiǎo dòng zuō, bú shì wán bǐ jiù shì sī zhǐ.
    This kid is always fidgeting in class, either playing with a pen or tearing paper.
  • 小动作，。
    Tā zài jìng xuǎn lǐ gǎo le bù shǎo xiǎo dòng zuō, tōu tōu mǒ hēi le duì shǒu.
    He made quite a few sneaky moves in the campaign, quietly smearing his opponent.
  • 小动作，。
    Nà ge qiú yuán zài fáng shǒu shí zuò le gè xiǎo dòng zuō, cái pàn méi kàn dào.
    That player pulled a sneaky move on defense and the ref didn't see it.

Origin

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.

小xiǎosmall
动作movement
动dòngmove作zuòact
联合Coordinate

小 means small, while 动 and 作 both involve moving or acting, giving petty or restless movements.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 八八bāto divide; to separate
  • 丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Open 小 →

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 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìstrength
Sound part声符shēngfú
重
重zhòng動dòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.

Open 动 →

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
Abstract Concepts

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