作弊
zuòbì · HSK 7
cheat
🃏 作 (do/commit) + 弊 (fraud, malpractice) = commit fraud = cheat
作 means to do or commit an act; 弊 means fraud, abuse, or malpractice. Put together they name the act of committing fraud — cribbing in an exam, fixing a game, or any corrupt practice.
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.