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装作 (zhuāng zuò) — to pretend, to feign (to act as if something is true when it is not)

Definition

Used in written or deliberate contexts to mean 'pretend / feign' — more formal and literary than 假装, and not used for quick everyday play-acting. Common in the pattern 装作 + verb/adjective.

verb
to pretendto feign (to act as if something is true when it is not)

Examples

  • 装作。
    Tā zhuāng zuò bú rèn shi wǒ.
    He pretended not to recognize me.
  • 装作，。
    Bié zhuāng zuò méi shì, wǒ zhī dào nǐ nán guò.
    Don't pretend everything is fine; I know you're sad.
  • 装作，。
    Tā zhuāng zuò hěn hài pà, qí shí yì diǎn yě bú pà.
    She pretended to be very scared, but actually wasn't afraid at all.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

装zhuāngpretend
作zuòact

装作 joins 装, feigning, with 作, also acting, to mean pretend.

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 裝; 装 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衣衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
壯
壯zhuàng裝zhuāng
Same sound today

The traditional form 裝 pairs 衣 (clothes) with 壯 as a sound part; this story is about 裝, not the simplified 装.

Open 装 →

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
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