作 Stroke Order — How to Write 作
作 is written in 7 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 亻, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
作 Radical and Character Components
作 is an ideographic compound. A person 亻 making something for the first time 乍; 乍 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 亻 + 5 more strokes
作 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- zuò
- zuō
Meanings of 作 in Chinese
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.
Common Words and Phrases with 作
1
to commit a crime or an offense
警方已经锁定了作案嫌疑人。
The police have already identified the suspect who committed the crime.
2
to drop, give up, or relinquish something
由于天气恶劣，我们只好作罢这次郊游活动。
Due to the severe weather, we had no choice but to call off this outing.
3
To keep company; to be a companion.
他经常陪着奶奶作伴，一起看电视、聊天。
He often keeps his grandma company, watching TV and chatting together.
4
To act as a guarantor for someone, providing a guarantee.
他向银行申请贷款，需要一位亲友为他作保
He applied for a loan from the bank and needed a relative or friend to act as his guarantor.
5
to cheat, to practice fraud, to act dishonestly
在考试中作弊是一种非常不道德的行为。
Cheating in an exam is a very immoral act.
6
To be an onlooker; to watch from the sidelines without getting involved.
朋友之间发生争执时，他不愿介入，只是作壁上观
When his friends had a disagreement, he preferred not to intervene and simply watched from the sidelines.
7
To bid farewell; to say goodbye.
在火车站，我们作别了远道而来的朋友。
At the train station, we bid farewell to our friends who came from afar.
8
To help someone accomplish or achieve something.
多亏了您的作成，我才能顺利完成这个项目，真是太感谢了。
Thanks to your help, I was able to successfully complete this project. I'm truly grateful.
9
put on airs
他最近升职了，就开始在同事面前作大，让人很不舒服。
He recently got a promotion and started putting on airs in front of his colleagues, which makes people uncomfortable.
10
to act as host
今晚的聚餐，小王提议由他作东，为大家准备丰盛的晚餐。
For tonight's get-together, Xiao Wang offered to host and prepare a sumptuous dinner for everyone.
11
to oppose; to set oneself against
你们不要总是作对，应该互相帮助。
Don't always go against each other; you should help each other.
12
To do evil or commit evil deeds.
他因贪婪而作恶，最终受到法律的制裁。
He committed evil due to greed and was ultimately punished by the law.
13
Commit all sorts of wickedness or evil deeds; commit numerous crimes.
这个作恶多端的罪犯，最终未能逃脱法律的制裁。
This criminal, who had committed numerous evil deeds, ultimately could not escape the sanctions of the law.
14
15
To make a law or set a rule that ultimately brings harm or failure to oneself; to be hoist with one's own petard.
这家公司的老板制定了极其严苛的规章制度，结果自己也常常因为无法遵守而陷入困境，真是作法自毙。
The owner of this company established extremely strict rules, but often found himself in difficulty for being unable to comply with them, truly hoisted by his own petard.
16
A workshop, typically for handicrafts or small-scale manufacturing.
这家老作坊以其精美的木雕而闻名。
This old workshop is famous for its exquisite wood carvings.
More words with 作
- jié杰zuò作masterpiece
- xié协zuò作collaboration, cooperation
- lǒng垄zuò作ridge culture; planting on ridges
- nǐ拟zuò作Planned work, Intended work
- zhuō拙zuò作my humble work
- gēng耕zuò作cultivation, farming
- xiě写zuò作writing
- zhù著zuò作work, writing
- màn慢dòng动zuò作slow motion
- zhù著zuò作quán权copyright
- liáng粮shi食zuò作wù物food crops, grain crops
- wǔ仵zuò作coroner, forensic investigator
- yōng佣zuò作to work for someone as an employee
- dōng冬jì季zuò作wù物winter crops
- shì示fàn范dòng动zuò作demonstration, demonstration movement
- xié协tóng同zuò作yòng用synergy
- yì抑jūn菌zuò作yòng用Bacteriostatic effect, Bacteriostatic action
- yuè越dōng冬zuò作wù物winter crop
- zuò作chū出make, issue
- zuò作jiā家writer, author
Idioms with 作
- zuò作jià嫁yī衣shang裳toil for others' benefit in vain
- zuò作jiān奸fàn犯kē科commit crimes and violate laws
- zuò作jiǎn茧zì自fù缚to be caught in one's own trap
- zuò作jīn金shí石shēng声have elegant and sonorous literary style
- zuò作kùn困shòu兽dòu斗fight like a cornered beast
- zuò作wēi威zuò作fú福abuse power for personal gain
- zuò作zéi贼xīn心xū虚guilty conscience
- zuò作zuò作suǒ索suǒ索rustling or scurrying sound
- àn暗zhōng中zuò作gěng梗secretly obstruct or sabotage
- àn暗zhōng中zuò作lè乐secretly indulge in pleasure
- bái白rì日zuò作mèng梦daydream about something impossible
- bìng并jiān肩zuò作zhàn战fight side by side
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Open the tool →Questions about 作
What does 作 mean in Chinese?
作 (zuò) means “To engage in” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 作?
作 has 2 pronunciations: zuò, zuō.
How many strokes does 作 have?
作 has 7 strokes.
How do you write 作?
作 is written in 7 strokes, starting from the radical 亻. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 作?
The radical of 作 is 亻, and 作 is an ideographic compound.