HSK · Level 43
120 words
Chinese word
叫作
Pronunciation
Pinyinjiào zuò
Meaning
- verbbe called
Example
这本书叫作《小王子》。zhè běn shū jiào zuò xiǎo wáng zǐ
This book is called The Little Prince.
More examples
这种动物通常被叫作海豚。zhè zhǒng dòng wù tōng cháng bèi jiào zuò hǎi tún
This animal is usually called a dolphin.
Core concept
A label becomes the accepted way to identify someone or something.
Common phrases
叫作什么jiào zuò shén me
what it is called
通常叫作tōng cháng jiào zuò
normally be called
Similar words
叫做jiào zuò: Be known by a particular name or label.
叫jiào: Call a person or thing by a name in everyday speech.
Definition in Chinese
表示某人或某物被称为某个名字或名称。biǎo shì mǒu rén huò mǒu wù bèi chēng wéi mǒu gè míng zì huò míng chēng
Word origin
The verb joins 叫 (jiào, "call") with 作 (zuò, "make or become"), linking the act of calling with the name a person or thing is known by.
Usage tips
- It fits naturally when giving the title of a book, film, or other work, while casual speech often uses a shorter wording.
Other meanings
- be namedverb
- be known asverb