TongTong
Sign in

交手 (jiāo shǒu) — to fight hand to hand (in sports or combat); to come to grips with an opponent (in competition or argument)

Definition

A vivid verb for two sides clashing directly — in physical combat, a sports match, or a business/argument showdown. Pairs with 一次 and 过 to mark a single past encounter.

verb
to fight hand to hand (in sports or combat)to come to grips with an opponent (in competition or argument)

Examples

  • 交手。
    Liǎng wèi quán jī shǒu zài bǐ sài zhōng jiāo shǒu.
    Two boxers fought hand to hand in the match.
  • ，。
    Tā men jiāo guò yí cì shǒu, bù fēn shèng fù.
    They fought once and it was a draw.
  • 。
    Liǎng jiā gōng sī zài shì chǎng shàng jiāo shǒu.
    The two companies came to grips in the market.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

交jiāoexchange
手shǒuhand

交 means exchange and 手 means hand, so 交手 is exchanging hands in combat.

Characters in this word

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

交 originally drew a human with crossed legs. In the modern shape, the upper part resembles a standing person.

Open 交 →

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
Conflict & AgreementSports & Athletics

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.