Chinese word

作

Pronunciation

Pinyinzuò

Meaning

  • verbact up

Example

聚会上他会作怪。jù huì shàng tā huì zuò guài

At parties, he acts up.

Illustration for 作 (act up)

More examples

他总是在陌生人面前作态，让人觉得不自然。tā zǒng shì zài mò shēng rén miàn qián zuò tài ràng rén jué de bú zì rán

He always puts on airs in front of strangers, making him seem unnatural.

Core concept

A person deliberately turns ordinary behavior into a noticeable performance to shape how others see them.

Common phrases

  • 作态zuò tài

    put on airs

  • 作秀zuò xiù

    show off

  • 作势zuò shì

    act tough

Similar words

装作zhuāng zuò: To act as if something is true or someone is a certain way when it is not.
耍shuǎ: To play around in a showy way to get people to notice.
闹nào: To stir up noise and trouble to attract attention or bother people.

Definition in Chinese

通过做出夸张或做势的行为来制造某种印象，有时带有取笑或装腔的意味。tōng guò zuò chū kuā zhāng huò zuò shì de xíng wéi lái zhì zào móu zhǒng yìn xiàng yǒu shí dài yǒu qǔ xiào huò zhuāng qiāng de yì wèi

Word origin

作 (zuò, "do; make") extends from carrying out an action to deliberately displaying affected behavior, as in 作怪 (zuòguài, "act strangely").

Usage tips

  • In casual conversation, the word often sounds critical; among friends it may be playful, but in a serious setting it can make someone sound dismissive of another person's behavior.

Other meanings

  • performverb
  • put on airsverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word