HSK Level 2

作家

zuò jiā

writer

Mobile & Tablet App

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Practice writing with stroke order guidance, audio pronunciation, and interactive exercises in our mobile app.

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Native speaker audio pronunciation

Interactive writing recognition

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Character writing practice in mobile app

Example Sentences

我很喜欢这位作家的作品。

wǒ hěn xǐhuān zhè wèi zuòjiā de zuòpǐn.

I really like this writer's works.

这位作家很有名。

zhè wèi zuòjiā hěn yǒumíng.

This writer is very famous.

我想成为一名作家。

wǒ xiǎng chéngwéi yī míng zuòjiā.

I want to become a writer.

Synonyms

写手 (xiěshǒu)

writer

作者 (zuòzhě)

author

Antonyms

读者 (dú zhě)

reader

评论家 (píng lùn jiā)

critic

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 作家 (zuòjiā) for "writer" is composed of two characters: 作 (zuò) and 家 (jiā). The character 作 originally meant "to do" or "to make", and was often used in the sense of "to create" or "to compose". The character 家 originally meant "house" or "family", but was also used in the sense of "expert" or "master". When combined, the two characters 作家 literally mean "one who creates a family", or more figuratively, "one who creates a body of work". This meaning is in line with the modern understanding of a writer as someone who creates literary works.