Common Meanings
1
zuò作
To rise, to start, to emerge, or to burst forth; to bestir oneself.
傍晚时分，窗外忽然风雨大作
In the evening, the wind and rain suddenly burst forth outside the window.
To engage in; to work; to do (as in work, rest, or assignments).
他今天有很多工作要做
He has a lot of work to do today.
To hold, conduct, or carry out an action or event (e.g., give a report, make a case, wage war, part ways).
他正在为明天的会议作报告。
He is preparing a report for tomorrow's meeting.
To do, make, act, or cause, often implying negative or improper behavior such as cheating or causing trouble.
他在考试中作弊，被老师发现了。
He was caught cheating on the exam by the teacher.
To call off or drop a matter; to give up on something.
既然大家意见不一，不如这件事就作罢
Since everyone has different opinions, why don't we just drop this matter.
To create, compose, write, or act as an author.
他是一位著名的作家，他的作品深受读者喜爱
He is a famous writer, and his works are deeply loved by readers.
Refers to a literary, artistic, or musical creation; a work or piece.
这部电影是他导演的最新作，非常值得一看。
This movie is his latest work as a director, highly worth watching.
To pretend, to feign, to put on an act or show, as in '装模作样' (zhuāngmózǎoyàng) meaning 'to put on an act' or '作态' (zuòtài) meaning 'to strike a pose'.
她总是喜欢装模作样，吸引别人的注意。
She always likes to put on an act to attract others' attention.
Used in classical texts or dictionaries to indicate that a character or phrase is also written as, or equivalent to, another form.
在一些古籍中，“笔”字有时也作“筆”等字形。
In some ancient texts, the character '笔' is sometimes also written as '筆' and other variant forms.
To act, to make, to manifest (often in an undesirable or unusual way, such as to feel nauseous or to act strangely/make trouble).
他最近总是喜欢作怪，惹得大家哭笑不得。
He has been acting strangely lately, leaving everyone amused and exasperated.
Used interchangeably with '做' (zuò), meaning 'to do' or 'to make'.
他在图书馆里作研究。
He is doing research in the library.
To do; to act; to engage in an activity (e.g., to tease or court trouble).
他总是喜欢作弄小动物。
He always likes to tease small animals.
2
zuō作
An old-style workshop or studio, especially for manual crafts or small-scale manufacturing.
这家小作坊制作的糕点很受欢迎。
The pastries made in this small workshop are very popular.