丢手 (diū shǒu) — to wash one's hands of, to stop being involved in

Definition

丢手 is an informal colloquial verb meaning to wash one's hands of something and stop being involved. It often carries a sense of giving up responsibility, unlike 负责 which means actively taking responsibility.

verb
to wash one's hands ofto stop being involved in

Examples

  • 丢手，。
    Tā zǎo jiù xiǎng diū shǒu, bú zài guǎn gōng sī de shì le.
    He has long wanted to wash his hands of it and stop managing the company's affairs.
  • ，，。
    Cóng nà tiān qǐ, tā jiù diū le shǒu, zài yě bù guǎn le.
    From that day on, he washed his hands of it and never managed it again.
  • ，。
    Zhè jiàn shì zé rèn tài dà, tā diū bù liǎo shǒu.
    The responsibility for this matter is too great; he can't wash his hands of it.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

丢diūthrow away
手shǒuhand

丢 throw away and 手 hand combine to mean letting go and stopping involvement.

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 丟; 丢 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 丟 is made of 一 (one) and 去 (to go; to remove); the simplified 丢 is a later shorthand, so its shapes are not the original parts.

Open 丢 →

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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