dòng zuò
movement
他做了一个动作。
tā zuòle yīgè dòngzuò.
He made a movement.
她正在做动作。
tā zhèngzài zuò dòngzuò.
She is doing exercises.
他们喜欢做动作。
tāmen xǐhuan zuò dòngzuò.
They like to do exercises.
行为 (xíngwéi)
behavior
举动 (jǔdòng)
action
动作 (dòngzuò)
movement
静止 (jìngzhǐ)
stillness
不动 (bù dòng)
immobility
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The Chinese word 动作 (dòngzuò) for "action" or "movement" is composed of two characters: 动 (dòng) and 作 (zuò). The character 动 originally meant "to move" or "to shake", and it is often used in verbs that describe physical movement, such as 走 (zǒu, "to walk"), 跑 (pǎo, "to run"), and 跳 (tiào, "to jump"). The character 作 originally meant "to do" or "to make", and it is often used in verbs that describe actions or activities, such as 写 (xiě, "to write"), 画 (huà, "to draw"), and 唱 (chàng, "to sing"). When these two characters are combined to form 动作, the meaning becomes more specific to "action" or "movement", encompassing both physical movement and actions or activities in general.
