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招数 (zhāo shù) — (in chess, martial arts, or performance) a move, a technique; (figurative) a trick, a scheme, a method (often implying cleverness or manipulation)

Definition

招数 refers to a specific 'move' or 'trick' — concrete, countable, often implying cleverness. Unlike 技术 or 技巧, which name a skill or method, 招数 points to a particular tactic you deploy.

noun
(in chess, martial arts, or performance) a movea technique(figurative) a tricka schemea method (often implying cleverness or manipulation)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 招数，。
    Tā zhè bù qí de zhāo shù hěn lì hài, wǒ yì shí jiān méi kàn chū lái.
    His chess move was very clever; I didn't see it coming.
  • 招数，。
    Zuò shēng yi bù néng zhǐ yòng lǎo zhāo shù, yào bú duàn chuàng xīn cái xíng.
    In business you can't just use old tricks — you have to keep innovating.
  • ，招数。
    Duì fu zhè zhǒng rén, nǐ dé xiǎng chū gèng gāo míng de zhāo shù.
    To deal with this kind of person, you need to come up with a more clever method.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

招zhāomove
数shùmethod

招 names a move and 数 names a method; together they point to a clever technique.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
召
召zhào招zhāo
Same sound today

招 pairs 扌, the hand part, with 召, which gives the sound, to show beckoning with the hand.

Open 招 →

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 數; 数 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
婁
婁lóu數shù(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 數 pairs 攴, the meaning part, with 婁, the sound part; the simplified 数 is a shorthand.

Open 数 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract ConceptsSports & Athletics

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