做、搞、干、弄、办

做

Somebody + 做 + work/activity

= to do; to work at; to engage in.

做生意
do business; carry on trade

我为公司做事。
I work for the company. (I do things for the company)

你真不应该那样做！
You really shouldn’t do that. (should not behave like that)

Somebody + 做 + thing/product

= to make; to produce; to manufacture.

我喜欢自己做衣服。
I like to make my own clothes.

他做了一个可怕的梦。(做梦 = to dream)
He had a terrible dream.

Somebody + 做 + job/profession/person

= to become (+ profession); to act as.

今天开会你来做主持。
You will be the host of today’s meeting.

我想做警察。
I want to be a police officer.

我要做一个勇敢的人。
I want to be a brave person.

Something (+ 被) (+ 当/用) + 做 + something else

= to be used as; to be treated as

树皮可以做造纸的原料。
Bark may be used as raw material for paper-making.

这种草可以做一种美食。
This grass can be used to make a delicacy.
(must add 可以/能, to make it sound natural)

这种草被当做一种美食。(可以/能 can be omitted.)
= 这种草可以当做一种美食。(被 can be omitted.)
= 这种草可以被当做一种美食。(both can be added in one sentence.)
This grass can be used to make a delicacy.

Somebody + 做 + relationship

= to form a relationship.

我不想和他做朋友。
I don’t want to be friends with him.

我们要做邻居了。
We’re going to be neighbours.

Somebody + 做 + food

= to cook; to prepare food.

你会做饭吗？
Do you know how to cook?

她很会做菜。 She is good at cooking.

northern dialect = 做饭、做菜
southern dialect = 做菜、煮饭、煮菜、烧饭、烧菜

干

Somebody + 干 + work/task

= to work; to do.

你家谁干家务。
= 你家谁做家务。
Who does the housework in your family.

我不经常干活。
I don’t work very often.
(干活 = to work。做活)

Somebody + 干 + job/profession
Somebody + 是 + 干 + job/profession + 的

= to work in; to be engaged in.

他是干工程的。(spoken)
= 他是做工程的。(formal)
He works in engineering.
(干 + work which requires manual handling)

他干过经理。(spoken)
= 他做过经理。(formal)
He worked as a manager.

干 cannot be used on its own.
他干经理
他可以干经理。
他不会干经理。
他干过经理。
他干了经理。
他不干经理了。
他是干经理的。

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