发作

• Pinyin: fā zuò
• Hanzi breakdown: 发 = 弓 + 殳 — to erupt, break out; 作 = 亻(person radical) + 乍 (suddenly) — a person acting suddenly, to arise abruptly

Meaning

To have an attack or episode; to break out; to flare up. Used for sudden onset of illness, symptoms, emotional outbursts, or the sudden activation of a harmful effect.

Medical use: 哮喘发作 (asthma attack), 癫痫发作 (epileptic seizure), 心脏病发作 (heart attack). Also used for emotional outbursts (情绪发作) and the sudden taking effect of drugs or poison (药性发作). Implies an acute, episodic nature.

Examples

1. 他的哮喘在接触花粉后突然发作，呼吸极度困难，同行的朋友立刻拨打了急救电话。 After coming into contact with pollen, his asthma suddenly flared up and he had extreme difficulty breathing, so the friends traveling with him immediately called emergency services.
2. 这名患者的精神疾病已有数年病史，此次发作前曾停止服药长达三周，诱发了此次严重的急性症状。 This patient has had a history of mental illness for several years; before this episode, they had stopped taking medication for as long as three weeks, triggering severe acute symptoms.
3. 看到那份调查报告，他积压已久的愤怒终于发作，在办公室里与同事发生了激烈的争执。 When he saw the investigation report, his long-suppressed anger finally erupted, and he got into a heated argument with a coworker in the office.

Usage Guide

Context: medical, psychology, everyday, emergency

Tone: urgent

Do Say

• 目睹癫痫发作时，旁观者勿按压患者或向其口中塞物。(When witnessing an epileptic seizure, bystanders should not restrain the patient or put objects in their mouth.)
• 良好的社会支持能缓解急性发作时的心理痛苦。(Strong social support can ease psychological distress during an acute attack.)

Don't Say

• 他病发作得很厉害 — 发作 already captures the episodic outbreak without needing the redundant 病; say 他的病发作得很厉害 or 他突然发作，症状十分严重 for natural phrasing

Origin & History

发 (to emit/erupt) + 作 (to arise/occur) — to suddenly erupt or arise, especially of something harmful or acute

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal