举手 (jǔ shǒu) — to raise one's hand (to speak, vote, etc.); to…

Definition

A separable verb: 举 + object hand, used for raising a hand in class or a meeting, and for a military salute.

verb

to raise one's hand (to speak, vote, etc.)to salute (military style)

，举手。
Lǎo shī wèn le yí gè wèn tí, wǒ mǎ shàng jǔ shǒu.
The teacher asked a question, and I immediately raised my hand.
，举手。
Dà jiā tóng yì de huà, qǐng jǔ shǒu.
If everyone agrees, please raise your hands.
。
Tā jǔ le sān cì shǒu cái bèi jiào dào.
He raised his hand three times before being called on.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

“举” means raise and “手” means hand, so the action is raising a hand.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 舉; 举 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

與

與yǔ舉jǔ

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 舉 pairs 與, which gives the sound, with 手, a hand; the simplified 举 is a later shorthand.

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.

Appears in