后手 (hòu shǒu) — (coll.) leeway, reserve, trump card; defensive position (in chess or Go); successor (to property, position)

Definition

Literally 'back hand,' 后手 covers three distinct senses: a trump card or reserve, a defensive position in chess/Go (opposite of 先手), and a successor to a position or property. Context disambiguates.

noun
(coll.) leewayreservetrump carddefensive position (in chess or Go)successor (to property, position)

Examples

  • ，后手。
    Nǐ fàng xīn, wǒ hái yǒu yì zhāng hòu shǒu.
    Don't worry, I still have a trump card.
  • ，后手。
    Zài wéi qí zhōng, hòu shǒu shì yì zhǒng fáng shǒu cè lüè.
    In Go, a defensive position (hòushǒu) is a defensive strategy.
  • 后手。
    Tā shì zhè jiā qǐ yè de hòu shǒu.
    He is the successor to this enterprise.

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.

后hòurear/second
手shǒumove/hand

后 (rear/second) and 手 (move/hand) suggest a reserve or defensive move.

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 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

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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