抓手 (zhuā shǒu) — (figurative) key focus, entry point, starting point for action (used in 以…为抓手); (technical) gripper, mechanical hand

Definition

A concrete noun meaning 'gripper / mechanical hand' (the jaws of a robot or tool). In figurative use, typically in the pattern 以…为抓手, it means 'key focus' or 'entry point' for tackling a problem.

noun
(figurative) key focusentry pointstarting point for action (used in 以…为抓手)(technical) grippermechanical hand

Examples

  • 抓手，。
    Gōng sī yǐ jì shù chuàng xīn wèi zhuā shǒu, tuī dòng chǎn pǐn shēng jí.
    The company takes technological innovation as its key focus to drive product upgrades.
  • 抓手。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù xū yào zhǎo dào yí gè yǒu xiào de zhuā shǒu lái qǐ dòng.
    This project needs to find an effective entry point to get started.
  • 抓手。
    Jī qì rén shǒu bì shàng de zhuā shǒu kě yǐ zhuā qǔ gè zhǒng líng jiàn.
    The gripper on the robot arm can pick up various parts.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

抓zhuāgrab
手shǒuhand

抓 'grab' and 手 'hand' combine to mean a gripping hand, hence an entry point.

Characters in this word

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
手手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
爪
爪zhuǎ抓zhuā
Same sound today

抓 is built from 手 (hand) and 爪. The hand part points to actions like grab, catch, or scratch, while 爪 gives the sound.

Open 抓 →

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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