作废
zuò fèi · HSK 6
to cancel
🚫 zuò sounds like 'zoo' + fèi sounds like 'fail' — zoo fail, everything canceled
作 means to make/do, 废 means废 waste/abolish. Together: to make something废 waste — to nullify it. A 'zoo fail' where all the tickets get voided.
作 — person radical 亻 + 乍
作 combines the person radical 亻 with 乍, which originally depicted a sudden action or making something. The character means 'to do, make, or create,' with 亻 indicating human activity and 乍 supplying the sound. Over time it broadened to cover works, deeds, and acting as something.
废 — radical 广 (shelter) + phonetic 发 (fā)
Originally written 廢, this character depicts a building (广, a shelter or house) that has fallen into disuse, with 發 serving as the phonetic component. The core meaning is 'to abandon' or 'discard,' extending to 'ruined,' 'useless,' or 'waste.' The simplified form 废 replaces 發 with 发.