快手 (kuài shǒu) — quick worker, deft hand; (historical) yamen bailiff

Definition

A colloquial label for someone fast and skilled at a manual task (e.g. cooking, repairs). The 'yamen bailiff' sense is historical and rare in modern use.

noun
quick workerdeft hand(historical) yamen bailiff

Examples

  • 快手，。
    Tā zài chú fáng lǐ shì gè kuài shǒu, qiē cài tè bié kuài.
    He's a quick worker in the kitchen; he chops vegetables really fast.
  • 快手。
    Zhè ge kuài shǒu zhǐ yòng bàn xiǎo shí jiù wán chéng le rèn wu.
    This quick worker finished the task in just half an hour.
  • ，快手。
    Zài gǔ dài, kuài shǒu fù zé zhuā bǔ fàn rén.
    In ancient times, yamen bailiffs were responsible for arresting criminals.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

快kuàiquick
手shǒuhand

快 describes the hand, and 手 names the person whose hands are quick.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
忄Written in full as心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
夬
夬guài快kuài
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

快 pairs the left part 忄 (full form 心, the heart) with the right part 夬, which gives the sound.

Open 快 →

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 →

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