作威作福

Chinese

		to regard as; to take (somebody) for; to do to regard as; to take (somebody) for; to do; to make	power; might; prestige	to regard as; to take (somebody) for; to do to regard as; to take (somebody) for; to do; to make	good fortune; happiness; luck good fortune; happiness; luck; Fujian province (abbrev.); surname
trad. (作威作福)		作	威	作	福
simp. #(作威作福)		作	威	作	福
Literally: “to punish and award”.

Etymology

From 《尚書·洪範》.

惟辟作福，惟辟作威 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

From: The Book of Documents, circa 4^th – 3^rd century BCE

wéi pì zuò fú, wéi pì zuò wēi [Pinyin]

Only the king awards. Only the king punishes.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zuòwēizuòfú

  (Zhuyin): ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄨㄟ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄈㄨˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zok³ wai¹ zok³ fuk¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zuòwēizuòfú
    • Zhuyin: ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄨㄟ ㄗㄨㄛˋ ㄈㄨˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: zuòweizuòfú
    • Wade–Giles: tso⁴-wei¹-tso⁴-fu²
    • Yale: dzwò-wēi-dzwò-fú
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzuohueitzuohfwu
    • Palladius: цзовэйцзофу (czovɛjczofu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹ weɪ̯⁵⁵ t͡su̯ɔ⁵¹ fu³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zok³ wai¹ zok³ fuk¹
    • Yale: jok wāi jok fūk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzok⁸ wai¹ dzok⁸ fuk⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: zog³ wei¹ zog³ fug¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɔːk̚³ wɐi̯⁵⁵ t͡sɔːk̚³ fʊk̚⁵/

Verb

作威作福

1. to openly abuse power; to tyrannize