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指手画脚 (zhǐ shǒu huà jiǎo) — to gesticulate while talking (idiom); to criticize or give orders arbitrarily; to boss people around

Definition

An idiom meaning to gesticulate when talking, or to criticize and boss people around from the sidelines. It always carries a negative judgment of the speaker as interfering or meddling.

phrase
to gesticulate while talking (idiom)to criticize or give orders arbitrarilyto boss people around

Examples

  • 指手画脚，。
    Lǐng dǎo bié zǒng zhǐ shǒu huà jiǎo, yě yào tīng tīng yuán gōng de yì jiàn.
    Leaders shouldn't always boss people around; they should also listen to employees' opinions.
  • 指手画脚，。
    Tā shuō huà shí xǐ huan zhǐ shǒu huà jiǎo, ràng rén jué de hěn yǒu qù.
    He likes to gesticulate when he talks, which people find very amusing.
  • 指手画脚，。
    Tā zǒng duì xiǎo shì zhǐ shǒu huà jiǎo, ràng rén hěn bù shū fu.
    She always nitpicks about small things, which makes people uncomfortable.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

指手point hands
指zhǐpoint手shǒuhand
动宾Verb + object
画脚draw feet
画huàdraw脚jiǎofoot
动宾Verb + object

指 (point) with 手 (hand), and 画 (draw) with 脚 (foot), together picture waving hands and feet while talking.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
旨
旨zhǐ指zhǐ
Same sound today

The left part 扌 is the hand form 手. The right part 旨 gives the sound.

Open 指 →

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 畫; 画 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùbrush
Sound part声符shēngfú
規
規guī畫huà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 畫 pairs 聿, a brush, with 規 for its sound. The simplified 画 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the old parts.

Open 画 →

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 腳; 脚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròumeat, body
Sound part声符shēngfú
卻
卻què腳jiǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 腳 uses ⺼ for a body part and 卻 for the sound; the simplified 脚 is a later shorthand.

Open 脚 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Communication & SpeechIdioms & Set Phrases

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.