作业

• Pinyin: zuò yè
• Hanzi breakdown: 作 = 亻 (person radical) + 乍 (phonetic); 业 = simplified from 業, originally depicting a rack for musical instruments, meaning 'occupation/work'

Meaning

Homework; assignment. Work assigned by a teacher to be completed outside of class.

One of the most frequently used words in Chinese student life. Can refer to any type of schoolwork or assignment. In China, students often have significant amounts of 作业 every day, making this word very common in family and school conversations.

Examples

1. 你今天的作业做完了吗？ Have you finished today's homework?
2. 老师给我们留了很多作业。 The teacher gave us a lot of homework.
3. 我每天都要花两个小时做作业。 I have to spend two hours on homework every day.

Usage Guide

Context: school, family, everyday

Tone: practical

Do Say

• 快去做作业！(Go do your homework now!)
• 作业太多了，做不完。(There's too much homework — I can't finish it all.)

Don't Say

• 我写了我的作业。(While not strictly wrong, 做作业 is much more natural than 写作业 for general homework. 写 is used specifically for written assignments.)

Origin & History

Compound of 作 (to do/make) and 业 (work/occupation), literally 'work tasks.'

Cultural Context

Generation: Students / All ages

Social background: Universal