拉手 (lā shou) — to hold hands; to shake hands | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

拉手 is a verb meaning 'to hold hands' or 'to shake hands' — both senses share the same form. Contrast with 握手, which is used only for the formal handshake greeting, not for the ongoing act of holding hands.

verb

to hold handsto shake hands

Examples

拉手。
Tā men liǎ lā shou zǒu zài dà jiē shàng.
The two of them walked down the street holding hands.
，。
Tā lā zhe wǒ de shǒu, yì zhí méi fàng kāi.
She held my hand and never let go.
。
Wǒ men jiàn miàn shí lā le yí xià shǒu.
We shook hands when we met.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

拉 (pull) with 手 (hand) describes holding or shaking hands.

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

手手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

立

立lì拉lā

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

拉 pairs 手 (hand) with 立, a component that supplies the sound.

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.

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