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手里 (shǒu lǐ) — in one's hand(s); in the hand

Definition

手里 is a locative noun meaning 'in (one's) hand' — it names a place, not an action. Unlike 手上的物品, it emphasizes something being actively held or immediately available, not merely possessed.

noun
in one's hand(s)in the hand

Examples

  • 手里。
    Tā shǒu lǐ ná zhe yì zhāng jiù zhào piàn.
    He is holding an old photo in his hand.
  • 手里，。
    Qián bāo jiù zài nǐ shǒu lǐ, zài zhǎo zhǎo kàn.
    The wallet is right in your hand, look again.
  • 手里。
    Tā bǎ yào shi jǐn jǐn dì wò zài shǒu lǐ.
    She gripped the keys tightly in her hand.

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 →

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 裡; 里 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 里 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (里, 里面) it is 裡; in others (公里) it is 里 or 裏.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衤Written in full as衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
里
里lǐ裡lǐ
Same sound today

The form 裡 pairs 衤 (clothes) with 里 as a sound component.

Open 里 →
Appears in
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