Meaning of 动作
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- movement; motion; action
- to act; to move
How to use 动作
动作 usually means a physical movement, like a dance step, a sports move, or a gesture. It is common when talking about exercise, dance, martial arts, and films. Example: 这个动作很难。(Zhège dòngzuò hěn nán.) This move is very hard.
动 (dòng) means to move and 作 (zuò) means to do or make. Put them together and you get the moves you do: a movement or action of the body.
Common mistake: Learners often use 动作 for an action plan or taking action in general, but that is usually 行动 (xíngdòng). 动作 is mostly about a visible movement of the body. Also, do not confuse 作 (zuò) with 做 (zuò), which sound the same but are written differently in this word.
动作 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.
动 dòng · to move · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
作 zuò · to do · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 动作.
| 工作 | gōngzuò | to work; (of a machine) to operate |
| 行动 | xíngdòng | operation; action |
| 动物 | dòngwù | animal |
| 活动 | huódòng | to exercise; to move about; to work out; shaky; unsteady; loose (tooth etc) |
| 运动 | yùndòng | to move; to exercise |
| 作用 | zuòyòng | to act on; to affect; action; function; activity |
| 作家 | zuòjiā | author |
| 感动 | gǎndòng | to move (sb); to touch (sb emotionally) |
| 作业 | zuòyè | school assignment; homework |
| 动物园 | dòngwùyuán | zoo |
| 叫作 | jiàozuò | to call; to be called |
| 作文 | zuòwén | to write an essay; composition (student essay) |
Questions about 动作
What does 动作 mean?
动作 (dòngzuò) means "movement; motion; action; to act; to move" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 动作?
动作 is made of 2 characters: 动 (6 strokes), 作 (7 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 动作 an HSK word?
Yes. 动作 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 动作 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 动作 is written 動作.
How do you say action movie in Chinese?
An action movie is 动作片 (dòngzuòpiàn). You can also say 动作电影 (dòngzuò diànyǐng).
What is the difference between 动作 and 运动?
动作 is a single movement or set of moves, like one step in a dance. 运动 (yùndòng) means sports or physical exercise as an activity, for example 我喜欢运动 (Wǒ xǐhuan yùndòng), I like doing sports.