抢手货 (qiǎng shǒu huò) — (coll.) hot item; sought-after product

Definition

A 'hot item' — a product that many people want, so it sells fast. 抢手 alone describes the in-demand quality; 货 is the noun meaning 'goods/item'.

noun
(coll.) hot itemsought-after product
Measure word · 件

Examples

  • 抢手货。
    Zhè kuǎn xīn shǒu jī yí shàng shì jiù chéng le qiǎng shǒu huò.
    This new phone became a hot item as soon as it hit the market.
  • 抢手货，。
    Xiàn liàng bǎn de qiú xié měi cì dōu shì qiǎng shǒu huò, jǐ fēn zhōng jiù mài guāng le.
    Limited-edition sneakers are always a hot item every time, selling out in minutes.
  • 抢手货，。
    Chūn jié qián de nián huò hěn duō dōu shì qiǎng shǒu huò, yào zǎo yì diǎn mǎi.
    Many New Year goods are hot items before Spring Festival; you need to buy them early.

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.

抢手grabbed by hands
抢qiǎnggrab手shǒuhand
动宾Verb + object
货huògoods

抢手 suggests goods are grabbed by hands, and 货 is goods: a sought-after item.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 搶; 抢 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
倉
倉cāng搶qiǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 搶 pairs 扌 (hand) with 倉, which gives the sound; the simplified 抢 is a shorthand, so its right side is not the historical component.

Open 抢 →

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 貨; 货 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishell, money
Sound part声符shēngfú
化
化huà貨huò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 貨 pairs 化 (sound) with 貝 (shell, money) to write valuable goods; the simplified 货 is a shorthand.

Open 货 →

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