合作 (hézuò)

合作 means to cooperate or collaborate, combining the efforts of two or more parties to achieve a common goal. It is widely used in professional, academic, and interpersonal contexts and carries a positive connotation of productive partnership.

Meanings

[verb] To cooperate; to collaborate; to work together.
[noun] Cooperation; collaboration; partnership.

Example Sentences

两家公司决定展开长期合作，共同开发新产品。 Liǎng jiā gōngsī juédìng zhǎnkāi cháng qī hézuò, gòng tóng kāifā xīn chǎnpǐn. The two companies decided to enter into long-term cooperation to jointly develop new products.

团队合作精神是这个项目成功的关键因素之一。 Tuánduì hézuò jīngshén shì zhège xiàngmù chénggōng de guānjiàn yīnsù zhī yī. The spirit of teamwork is one of the key factors in the success of this project.

中美两国在气候变化问题上有广泛的合作空间。 Zhōng Měi liǎng guó zài qìhòu biànhuà wèntí shàng yǒu guǎngfàn de hézuò kōngjiān. China and the United States have extensive room for cooperation on the issue of climate change.

请大家积极配合，共同完成这次合作任务。 Qǐng dàjiā jījí pèihé, gòng tóng wánchéng zhè cì hézuò rènwù. Please cooperate actively so we can complete this collaborative task together.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
团队合作	teamwork
合作伙伴	cooperation partner
展开合作	launch cooperation
合作愉快	pleasant cooperation; nice working with you
国际合作	international cooperation

Usage Notes

合作 often appears in the phrase 合作愉快 (hézuò yúkuài), a polite expression meaning "it has been a pleasure working together," similar to the English sign-off "a pleasure doing business with you." As a verb, it commonly takes the pattern 和/与 X 合作 (to cooperate with X) or 在 X 方面合作 (to cooperate in the area of X).

Memory Hook

合 means "to combine/fit together" and 作 means "to do/make." Cooperation is combining what you make with what others make — fitting your efforts together perfectly.