鹿死谁手 (lù sǐ shéi shǒu) — (idiom) who will ultimately win; the outcome is still uncertain

Definition

Literally 'whose hand the deer dies in' — a chengyu asking 'who will ultimately win' when the outcome is still uncertain. Used for contests, elections, or rivalries where the victor is unknown.

idiom
who will ultimately winthe outcome is still uncertain

Examples

  • ，鹿死谁手，。
    Zhè cì bǐ sài gāo shǒu rú yún, jiū jìng lù sǐ shéi shǒu, hái hěn nán shuō.
    This competition is full of masters — it's hard to say who will ultimately win.
  • ，鹿死谁手。
    Liǎng jiā gōng sī jìng zhēng jī liè, lù sǐ shéi shǒu shàng wèi kě zhī.
    The two companies are in fierce competition; it's still unknown who will come out on top.
  • ，鹿死谁手。
    Zǒng tǒng dà xuǎn jìn rù zuì hòu jiē duàn, lù sǐ shéi shǒu yǐn rén guān zhù.
    The presidential election has entered its final stage, and who will win draws much attention.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

鹿死deer dies
鹿lùdeer死sǐdie
主谓Subject + predicate
谁手whose hand
谁shuíwho手shǒuhand
偏正Modifier + head

Deer 鹿 dies 死 in whose 谁 hand 手? The outcome is still uncertain.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

鹿 is a picture of a deer, with antlers, head, mouth, and bent legs; in the current form these parts are abstracted.

Open 鹿 →

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
歹歹dǎi
Sound part声符shēngfú
尸
尸shī死sǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

死 is built from 歹 and 尸: 歹 is the part tied to the meaning, and 尸 gives the sound.

Open 死 →

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 誰; 谁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeak
Sound part声符shēngfú
隹
隹zhuī誰shuí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 誰 pairs 言 (speak) with 隹, which supplies the sound; this shape is described for 誰, not 谁.

Open 谁 →

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 →

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