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对手 (duì shǒu) — opponent; rival; competitor

Definition

对手 is a matched opponent in a competition or contest — a worthy rival, not an enemy. Unlike 对方 (the other party in any exchange), 对手 implies a specific competitive matchup. 敌人 is hostile; 对手 is adversarial but not personal.

noun
opponentrivalcompetitor
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ，对手。
    Zài shāng chǎng lǐ, měi gè gōng sī dōu yǒu zì jǐ de duì shǒu.
    In the marketplace, every company has its own competitor.
  • ，对手。
    Zhè chǎng wéi qí bǐ sài, nǐ de duì shǒu shì yí wèi gāo shǒu.
    In this Go game, your opponent is a master.
  • 对手，。
    Zhǐ yǒu rèn zhēn fēn xī duì shǒu de zhàn shù, nǐ cái néng huò shèng.
    Only by carefully analyzing your opponent's tactics can you win.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

对duìopposing
手shǒuperson suffix

对 marks opposition, and 手 turns it into a person word, so the word means an opposing person.

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 對; 对 is its simplified writing.

For the traditional form 對, the shape comes from an early drawing of 丵 (a digging tool), 土 (earth), and 又 (a hand); it may have meant developing land.

Open 对 →

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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