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出手 (chū shǒu) — to dispose of, to sell off (goods); to spend (money, especially generously); to undertake (a task), to take action

Definition

出手 covers three ideas: getting rid of goods, spending (often generously — 这次他出手很大方), and taking action on a task. It is less formal than 处置, and broader than 清理 ('tidy/clear out') or 报废 ('scrap damaged items').

to dispose ofto sell off (goods)to spend (money, especially generously)to undertake (a task)to take action

Examples

  • 出手。
    Tā bǎ bú yòng de jiā jù dōu chū shǒu diào le.
    He disposed of all the unused furniture.
  • 出手，。
    Zhè cì tā chū shǒu hěn dà fāng, qǐng le suǒ yǒu rén chī fàn.
    This time he spent generously, treating everyone to dinner.
  • ，。
    Nà jiàn shì tā chū guò yí cì shǒu, jiù jiě jué le.
    He handled that matter once, and it was solved.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

出chūput out
手shǒuhand

“出” means putting out, “手” means hand, together they picture extending a hand to act, spend, or deal with something.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

出 combines 止 (foot) and 凵 (cave) to show a foot stepping out of a cave.

Open 出 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Shopping & Errands

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