手软 (shǒu ruǎn) — softhearted, hesitant to be harsh or strict | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Used almost only in negation (不能手软, 不会手软) to mean 'be lenient / not have the heart to act harshly'. It is about momentary hesitation when one should be firm.

verb

softheartedhesitant to be harsh or strict

Examples

手软。
Tā duì dí rén cóng lái bú huì shǒu ruǎn.
He is never softhearted toward enemies.
，手软。
Cái yuán de shí hou, jīng lǐ bù néng shǒu ruǎn.
When laying off employees, the manager cannot be softhearted.
。
Tā yí kàn dào hái zi kū jiù shǒu ruǎn le.
She becomes softhearted as soon as she sees a child cry.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

手 is hand and 软 is soft, so it describes one's hand becoming soft and hesitant.

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.

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 軟; 软 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

車車jūcarriage

Sound part声符shēngfú

耎

耎ruǎn軟ruǎn

Same sound today

The traditional form 軟 pairs 車 (carriage) with 耎 as a sound part; 耎 depicted a man under rain, and simplified 软 uses a later right side instead of 耎.

Appears in

Personality & Traits

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