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副手 (fù shǒu) — (noun) deputy; assistant; right-hand person

Definition

A 副手 is a close second-in-command or right-hand person to a leader — someone who steps in and supports. The example 他是总经理的副手 ('He is the GM's deputy') shows it marks a clear #2 role.

noun
deputyassistantright-hand person
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 副手。
    Tā shì zǒng jīng lǐ de fù shǒu.
    He is the deputy of the general manager.
  • 副手。
    Zhè wèi fù shǒu gōng zuò hěn rèn zhēn.
    This assistant works very diligently.
  • 副手。
    Tā shì wǒ zuì dé lì de fù shǒu.
    He is my most capable right-hand person.

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.

副fùdeputy
手shǒuhand/person

“副” (deputy) and “手” (hand/person) combine to mean a deputy person.

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
刂Written in full as刀dāoknife
Sound part声符shēngfú
畐
畐fú副fù
Same sound today

副 is built from 畐, which gives its sound, and 刂, a form of the knife 刀.

Open 副 →

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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