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绝招 (jué zhāo) — a unique skill or trick that gives an edge; a decisive move, especially a finishing blow or last-resort strategy

Definition

A signature skill or clever move that gives a decisive edge, often used as a last resort. It can describe a personal technique (e.g. a martial arts master's) or a company's winning strategy.

noun
a unique skill or trick that gives an edgea decisive move, especially a finishing blow or last-resort strategy
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 绝招，。
    Tā zài bǐ sài zuì hòu shǐ chū le zì jǐ de jué zhāo, yì jǔ huò shèng.
    He used his special move at the end of the match and won in one stroke.
  • 绝招，。
    Zhè ge gōng sī de jué zhāo shì kuài sù chuàng xīn, suǒ yǐ zǒng néng lǐng xiān duì shǒu.
    This company's masterstroke is rapid innovation, so it always stays ahead of competitors.
  • 绝招。
    Wǔ lín gāo shǒu dōu yǒu zì jǐ de kān jiā jué zhāo.
    Martial arts masters all have their own signature technique.

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.

绝juéunique
招zhāomove

绝 gives the sense of exceptional or last, and 招 is a move, so the word means a decisive trick.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 絕; 绝 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 絕, 刀 (knife) and 幺 (silk) show a knife cutting silk threads. The simplified 绝 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original picture.

Open 绝 →

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 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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