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手上 (shǒu shǎng) — in one's hands; on hand

Definition

手上 refers to what someone currently has, holds, or is responsible for — literally 'on/in the hands'. Unlike 手里的 (the physical object being held), 手上 extends to resources, tasks, or evidence at one's disposal.

noun
in one's handson hand

Examples

  • 手上。
    Tā shǒu shǎng ná zhe yì běn shū.
    He is holding a book in his hands.
  • 手上。
    Wǒ shǒu shǎng méi yǒu xiàn jīn.
    I don't have cash on hand.
  • 手上？
    Nǐ shǒu shǎng yǒu shén me zhèng jù?
    What evidence do you have in your hands?

Origin

Characters in this word

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 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

上 is drawn as a short horizontal line placed above a longer arc, marking a position above that arc.

Open 上 →
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