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下手 (xià shǒu) — to start (doing something), to set about; to put one's hand to (a task), to begin

Definition

下手 (xià shǒu) means to tackle or set about a concrete task — often used when the work is difficult and putting one's hand to it is a commitment. Use 动手 for simply starting to do something, 着手 for beginning a project systematically.

verb
to start (doing something)to set aboutto put one's hand to (a task)to begin

Examples

  • 下手。
    Tā xiān yán jiū le yí xià cái xià shǒu.
    He studied it a bit before starting.
  • 下手。
    Zhè ge wèn tí hěn nán xià shǒu.
    This problem is hard to tackle.
  • 下手。
    Wǒ hái méi xiǎng hǎo zěn me xià shǒu.
    I haven't figured out how to start yet.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

下xiàput down
手shǒuhand

下 as putting down and 手 as hand combine into putting one's hands to a task, hence to start.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Open 下 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

Open 手 →
Appears in
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