手语 (shǒu yǔ) — sign language | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literally 'hand language': a visual language using hand shapes, gestures, and facial expressions instead of sound. Used mainly by deaf people and the hearing-impaired to communicate.

noun

sign language

Examples

手语。
Tā zài bāng tīng lì zhèng cháng de hái zi xué xí shǒu yǔ.
She is helping hearing children learn sign language.
手语。
Hěn duō lóng rén shǐ yòng shǒu yǔ lái jiāo liú.
Many deaf people use sign language to communicate.
手语。
Wǒ jiě jie shì shǒu yǔ fān yì yuán.
My older sister is a sign language interpreter.

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.

语yǔlanguage

语 expressed with the 手, i.e. sign language.

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.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 語; 语 is its simplified writing.

言吾語

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

吾

吾wú語yǔ

Same sound today

The form 語 pairs 言 (speech) with 吾, which gives the sound; this note is about 語, not 语.

Appears in

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