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手臂 (shǒu bì) — arm (body part); helper, capable assistant (figurative)

Definition

Literally 'hand-arm', referring to the whole arm from shoulder to hand — more formal or written than 胳膊, which is the everyday word. As 'helper' it is a figurative use, not a job title like 助手.

noun
arm (body part)helpercapable assistant (figurative)
Measure word · 条

Examples

  • 手臂，。
    Tā de shǒu bì shòu shāng le, bù néng xiě zì.
    His arm is injured and he can't write.
  • 。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù chéng gōng wán quán kào tā de zuǒ bǎng yòu shǒu bì.
    The success of this project depends entirely on his right-hand assistants.
  • 手臂。
    Tā yòng shǒu bì cā diào liǎn shàng de hàn.
    She used her arm to wipe the sweat off her face.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

手shǒuhand
臂bìarm

手臂: 手 hand and 臂 arm are parallel body parts, together naming the arm.

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 →

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
肉肉ròumeat; flesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
辟
辟pì臂bei
Same sound today

臂 includes 肉, meaning meat or flesh, and 辟, which gives the character its sound.

Open 臂 →
Appears in
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