拿手好戏 (ná shǒu hǎo) — one's specialty, one's forte

Definition

拿手好戏 is a four-character idiom (成语) that literally means 'a play one is good at'. It is used to describe a person's specialty or forte — the skill or activity they excel in, regardless of whether it involves performance. Think of it as 'one's strong suit' or 'one's go-to move'. Unlike the literal translation might suggest, it can apply to any area of expertise, from cooking to negotiation.

one's specialtyone's forte

Examples

拿手好戏。
Zuò cài shì tā de ná shǒu hǎo.
Cooking is his specialty.
拿手好戏，。
Tánpàn shì tā de ná shǒu hǎo, měi cì dōu néng chénggōng.
Negotiation is his forte; he succeeds every time.
拿手好戏，。
Zhège xiàngmù zhèng shì tā de ná shǒu hǎo, yídìng néng zuò hǎo.
This project is exactly his specialty; he will definitely do it well.

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