作战
zuòzhàn · HSK 6
do battle
⚔️ zuò (make/do) + zhàn (battle) = do battle
Literally 'make war.' The zuò here is the same 作 as in 工作 (work), so think of it as 'working at battle' — war as an active, deliberate effort rather than something that just happens.
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.