作用

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Character Breakdown

Understanding 作用 (zuò yòng)

The word 作用 primarily refers to the effect, function, or role that something has on another object or situation. It can describe physical effects, like a drug's impact on the body, or abstract roles, such as a person's influence in a group.

Usage Nuances

  1. Physical or chemical effects: Often used in scientific or medical contexts to describe how one thing acts upon another (e.g., 作用).
  2. Roles or functions: Used to describe someone's or something's role or function in a system or situation (e.g., 老师作用).
  3. Causative effect: It can express the cause-effect relationship, showing how one factor leads to a result (e.g., 压力作用).

Common Collocations

  • 产生作用 (produce an effect): emphasizes the initiation of an effect.
  • 作用 (to take effect): used when something begins to have an effect.
  • 作用 (force of effect): often in physics or mechanics.

Important Tips

  • 作用 is more formal and often used in written or academic contexts compared to similar words like 影响 (influence).
  • When describing someone's role, 作用 can be synonymous with 角色 but focuses more on the functional impact.
  • Avoid confusing 作用 with 用途, which refers more to the purpose or use rather than the effect.

Understanding 作用 helps learners express cause-effect relationships and describe functions or roles clearly in both everyday and technical conversations.

Example Sentences

This medicine has a good effect on the body.

The teacher played an important role in the classroom.

The function of this machine is automatic cleaning.

The effect of pressure on the material causes deformation.

His words served to remind everyone.