做作 (zuòzuo): affected

Meanings

1 affected
2 artificial
3 pretentious

Characters

做

to do; to act (neutral tone here)

Examples

她说话太做作了，一点都不自然。

Tā shuōhuà tài zuòzuo le, yīdiǎn dōu bù zìrán.

The way she talks is so affected, not natural at all.

别那么做作，做你自己就好。

Bié nàme zuòzuo, zuò nǐ zìjǐ jiù hǎo.

Don't be so pretentious, just be yourself.

Tips

usage

做作 is always negative — it describes behavior that feels fake or exaggerated, like putting on airs. Common in describing people's mannerisms, speech, or social media personas.

Stroke Order

做 zuò

作 zuò

Related Words

作者 zuòzhě HSK 3 #4,291

author / writer / creator

作战 zuòzhàn HSK 6 #4,286

to fight / to conduct operations / combat

作证 zuòzhèng #2,304

to testify / to bear witness / to give evidence

做事 zuòshì #4,718

to work / to handle affairs / to do things

做成 zuòchéng #4,642

to make into / to turn into / to succeed in making

作弊 zuòbì HSK 7 #4,346

to cheat / to commit fraud

作案 zuò'àn #4,080

to commit a crime

做法 zuòfǎ HSK 2 #3,909

method / approach / recipe

做饭 zuòfàn HSK 2 #3,811

to cook / to prepare a meal

做好 zuòhǎo #3,263

to do well / to finish properly / to get ready