举手投足 (jǔ shǒu tóu zú) — every action and gesture; one's behavior and deportment

Definition

Literally 'a lift of the hand, a move of the foot' — refers to every small action and gesture, used to judge a person's manners or character. More literary and emphatic than just saying 行为.

idiom
every action and gestureone's behavior and deportment

Examples

  • 举手投足。
    Tā jǔ shǒu tóu zú zhī jiān dōu tòu zhe yōu yǎ.
    Every move she makes shows elegance.
  • 举手投足。
    Zhè wèi yǎn yuán de jǔ shǒu tóu zú hěn yǒu gǎn rǎn lì.
    This actor's every gesture is very captivating.
  • 举手投足。
    Yí gè rén de jǔ shǒu tóu zú néng fǎn yìng chū tā de jiào yǎng.
    A person's every action can reflect their upbringing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

举手raise hand
举jǔraise手shǒuhand
动宾Verb + object
投足move foot
投tóumove足zúfoot
动宾Verb + object

举手 means raising a hand, 投足 means moving a foot; together they refer to every action.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 舉; 举 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
與
與yǔ舉jǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 舉 pairs 與, which gives the sound, with 手, a hand; the simplified 举 is a later shorthand.

Open 举 →

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 →

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
殳
殳shū投tóu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 扌 shows a hand, and the right part 殳 gives the sound of the character.

Open 投 →

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

足 was originally drawn as a leg.

Open 足 →

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