撒手 (sā shǒu) — to let go (of one's hold); to give up (on something); to abandon

Definition

A verb-object phrase meaning to release one's grip or wash one's hands of something. Often used figuratively as 'to give up' or 'to stop meddling' (esp. 撒手不管).

verb
to let go (of one's hold)to give up (on something)to abandon

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā zhuā zhù shéng zi, rán hòu tū rán sā le shǒu.
    He grabbed the rope, then suddenly let go.
  • ，撒手。
    Zhè jiàn shì tài nán le, wǒ sā shǒu le.
    This matter is too difficult — I give up.
  • ，。
    Tā sā shǒu bù guǎn, quán jiāo gěi wǒ le.
    He washed his hands of it and left it all to me.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

撒sālet go
手shǒuhand

'撒' means to let go and '手' is the hand; releasing one's hand gives the sense of letting go or abandoning.

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
散
散sàn撒sǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

撒 combines 扌 (hand) with 散, which gives the sound; the hand part shows scattering with the hand.

Open 撒 →

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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