捏一把汗 (niē yì bǎ hàn) — to break into a cold sweat (from worry or antic…

Definition

A vivid, colloquial idiom for 'breaking into a cold sweat' from anxiety on someone else's behalf. Usually used with 为 / 替 + person.

verb

to break into a cold sweat (from worry or anticipation)to be extremely nervous (usually on behalf of someone else)

，捏一把汗。
Kàn tā zài tái shàng yǎn jiǎng, wǒ wèi tā niē yì bǎ hàn.
Watching him give a speech on stage, I was nervous for him.
，捏一把汗。
Bǐ sài zuì hòu jǐ miǎo zhōng, dà jiā dōu wèi duì yuán niē yì bǎ hàn.
In the last few seconds of the game, everyone was on tenterhooks for the players.
，捏一把汗。
Tā kāi chē tài kuài le, zuò zài páng biān de rén zhí niē yì bǎ hàn.
He drove so fast that the person sitting next to him was breaking into a cold sweat.

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shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

涅

Same sound today

In 捏, the left part 扌 is a hand, showing that the meaning involves using the fingers, while the right part 涅 gives the sound niè.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

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

扌巴把

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

巴

Same sound today

把 combines 扌, a hand, with 巴 for its sound.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

干

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

汗 has 水, the water form, beside 干; 水 relates to liquid sweat, while 干 gives the sound.