握拳 (wò quán) — to make a fist, to clench one's fist

Definition

A verb-object phrase meaning 'to clench one's fist' — a single deliberate gesture, not a habitual state. 拳 is a separable 离合词, so it can split as 握了一次拳 with a 了/过/quantity word inserted.

verb
to make a fistto clench one's fist

Examples

  • 握拳。
    Tā shēng qì de shí hou xǐ huan wò quán.
    When he's angry, he likes to clench his fist.
  • ，。
    Jiào liàn ràng dà jiā wò jǐn quán tou, zuò hǎo zhǔn bèi.
    The coach told everyone to make a tight fist and get ready.
  • ，。
    Tā zhī wò le yí cì quán, yòu sōng kāi le.
    He only clenched his fist once, then loosened it again.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

握wòclench
拳quánfist

握 means clench and 拳 means fist, so a fist is clenched.

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

握 has 扌, a hand shape, on the left, and 屋 on the right, which gives its sound.

Open 握 →

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

拳 pairs 手 (hand) with 龹 for sound. The hand part shows that the meaning is a form of hand, such as a fist.

Open 拳 →

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