TongTong
Sign in

手提 (shǒu tí) — portable; handheld (used attributively before a noun)

Definition

手提 is an adjective meaning 'portable, handheld' and is used only attributively before a noun (e.g. 手提包, 手提箱). It modifies the noun itself, unlike 携带 which is a verb meaning 'to carry'.

adjective
portablehandheld (used attributively before a noun)

Examples

  • 手提。
    Zhè tái shǒu tí diàn nǎo hěn shí yòng.
    This laptop is very practical.
  • 。
    Tā de shǒu tí bāo shì pí de.
    Her handbag is leather.
  • 。
    shǒu tí Xiāng lǐ zhuāng mǎn le yī fu.
    The suitcase is full of clothes.

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.

手shǒuhand
提tícarry

手 (hand) shows how 提 (carry) is done, giving the sense of being portable.

Characters in this word

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 →

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
是
是shì提tí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

提 shows 扌 (hand) beside 是, which gives the pronunciation.

Open 提 →
Appears in
Miscellaneous Objects

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