Meaning of 作为
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- one's conduct
- deed
- activity
- accomplishment
- achievement
- to act as
- as (in the capacity of)
- qua
How to use 作为
作为 most often comes at the start of a sentence to name the role someone speaks or acts from. It can also be a verb meaning "to serve as" or "to treat as," and as a noun it means one's achievements or conduct. Example: 作为老师，我要关心学生。(Zuòwéi lǎoshī, wǒ yào guānxīn xuésheng.) As a teacher, I need to care about my students.
作 (zuò) means to do or make, and 为 (wéi) means to be or act as. Put them together and you get "doing the role of," so 作为 means "as" or "in the capacity of."
Common mistake: Learners often read 为 here as wèi, the tone in 为什么 (wèi shénme) and 因为 (yīnwèi). In 作为 it is second tone, wéi, the same as in 认为 (rènwéi) and 以为 (yǐwéi).
作为 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
作 zuò · to do · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
为 wèi · because of · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 作为.
| 工作 | gōngzuò | to work; (of a machine) to operate |
| 动作 | dòngzuò | movement; motion; action; to act; to move |
| 为什么 | wèi shénme | why?; for what reason? |
| 因为 | yīnwèi | because; owing to; on account of |
| 认为 | rènwéi | to believe; to think; to consider; to feel |
| 以为 | yǐwéi | to think; to believe (often with the implication that the belief is mistaken – unless refe |
| 成为 | chéngwéi | to become; to turn into |
| 行为 | xíngwéi | action; conduct; behavior; activity |
| 作用 | zuòyòng | to act on; to affect; action; function; activity |
| 作家 | zuòjiā | author |
| 作业 | zuòyè | school assignment; homework |
| 叫作 | jiàozuò | to call; to be called |
Questions about 作为
What does 作为 mean?
作为 (zuòwéi) means "one's conduct; deed" and is used as a preposition and verb.
How do you write 作为?
作为 is made of 2 characters: 作 (7 strokes), 为 (4 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 作为 an HSK word?
Yes. 作为 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 作为 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 作为 is written 作為.
What is the difference between 作为 and 当 (dāng) for "as"?
Both can mean taking on a role, but 作为 is more formal and often opens a sentence, as in 作为朋友 (as a friend). 当 is more colloquial and usually works as a verb, as in 我把他当朋友 (I treat him as a friend).
How is 作为 used as a noun?
As a noun it means a person's accomplishments or what they do with their life. A common phrase is 有所作为 (yǒu suǒ zuòwéi), meaning to achieve something worthwhile, for example 他想在事业上有所作为 (he wants to accomplish something in his career).