作为 zuòwéi to act as
to act as; to view as; to look upon (something as); to take something to be
How to remember 作为: 作 do + 为 for = to act as.
Characters
How it is used
- As a coverb it means "as, in the capacity of" - 作为老师，他很有耐心 (zuòwéi lǎoshī, tā hěn yǒu nàixīn) as a teacher, he's very patient - placed before the noun, at the start of the clause.
- As a noun it means "conduct/accomplishment", mostly in the set phrase 有作为 (yǒu zuòwéi) to be accomplished/promising, or 无所作为 to achieve nothing.
- Don't confuse with 作为 vs 因为 - 作为 never means "because", despite sharing 为.
- Fairly formal and written; in casual speech people often just drop it or use 是.
Example sentences
- 作为父母应该关心孩子。 Zuòwéi fùmǔ yīnggāi guānxīn háizi.As parents, they should care for their children.
- 烹饪课程应该作为学校的必修课。 Pēngrèn kèchéng yīnggāi zuòwéi xuéxiào de bìxiūkè.A cooking course should be mandatory in schools.