造

• Pinyin: zào
• Hanzi breakdown: 造 = 辶 (walk) + 告 (to tell), originally meaning 'to go to,' later extended to 'to make' or 'to create'

Meaning

To make; to build; to create; to manufacture. Refers to constructing or producing something.

A versatile verb used in many compounds: 制造 (to manufacture), 创造 (to create), 造句 (to make sentences), 建造 (to construct). Can refer to physical construction, creative production, or fabrication.

Examples

1. 这座桥是一百年前造的。 This bridge was built a hundred years ago.
2. 老师让我们用新词造句。 The teacher asked us to make sentences with new words.
3. 中国人造纸的历史非常悠久。 Chinese people have a very long history of papermaking.

Usage Guide

Context: construction, education, manufacturing

Tone: active

Do Say

• 请用这个词造一个句子。(Please make a sentence using this word.)
• 这艘船是在中国造的。(This ship was built in China.)

Don't Say

• 我造了一个蛋糕。(Don't use 造 for cooking or baking — use 做 for making food; 造 is for constructing, manufacturing, or creating sentences)

Origin & History

Originally 辶 (walk) + 告 (to tell). The original meaning was 'to go to' or 'to visit,' which later extended to 'to make' or 'to create.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal