Chinese word

作战

Pronunciation

Pinyinzuò zhàn

Meaning

  • verbfight

Example

我不会和他作战。wǒ bú huì hé tā zuò zhàn

I will not fight him.

Illustration for 作战 (fight)

More examples

小分队在边境与敌人作战，情况十分危险。xiǎo fēn duì zài biān jìng yǔ dí rén zuò zhàn qíng kuàng shí fēn wēi xiǎn

The small unit fought the enemy at the border, and the situation was very dangerous.

Core concept

A coordinated side confronts an opponent through planned action aimed at victory or a defined goal.

Common phrases

  • 与敌人作战yǔ dí rén zuò zhàn

    fight the enemy

  • 夜间作战yè jiān zuò zhàn

    conduct nighttime operations

  • 协同作战xié tóng zuò zhàn

    conduct joint operations

Similar words

战斗zhàn dòu: Fight an opponent directly with force while trying to win.
进攻jìn gōng: Move against an enemy position or defensive line.
攻击gōng jī: Deliberately attack an opponent to cause harm.
打仗dǎ zhàng: Take part in a war or battle as an army or other group.

Definition in Chinese

发动或参加有组织的战斗或行动，以达到击败敌方或完成特定目标。fā dòng huò cān jiā yǒu zǔ zhī de zhàn dòu huò xíng dòng yǐ dá dào jī bài dí fāng huò wán chéng tè dìng mù biāo

Word origin

作 (zuò, "carry out") + 战 (zhàn, "battle") combines to mean conducting a battle, and by extension an organized effort directed toward a goal.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this verb sounds formal and strategic, so applying it to a personal disagreement can make the conflict sound much more serious than intended.

Other meanings

  • military operationnoun

Opposites

  • 撤退chè tuìretreatverb
  • 和谈hé tánhold peace talksverb

Related words

  • 作战任务zuò zhàn rèn wùcombat missionnoun
  • 作战准备zuò zhàn zhǔn bèicombat preparationsnoun

Word lists with this word