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洗手 (xǐ shǒu) — to wash one's hands; (euphemism) to go to the toilet; (figurative) to reform, to quit a bad habit (originally of criminals)

Definition

A separable verb: 洗手 means 'to wash one's hands', and is also a polite euphemism for going to the bathroom. Figuratively, 洗手 (often 洗手不干) means a criminal has reformed and quit their old trade.

verb
to wash one's hands(euphemism) to go to the toilet(figurative) to reformto quit a bad habit (originally of criminals)

Examples

  • 。
    Chī fàn qián yí dìng yào xǐ yí biàn shǒu.
    Be sure to wash your hands once before eating.
  • 洗手。
    Tā yào qù xǐ shǒu yí xià.
    He needs to go wash his hands (go to the bathroom).
  • 洗手。
    Nà ge xiǎo tōu yǐ jīng xǐ shǒu bú gàn le.
    That thief has already reformed and quit.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

洗xǐwash
手shǒuhand

洗 (wash) is performed on 手 (hands).

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
先
先xiān洗xǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

洗 is built from 水 (water) and 先, which gives the character its sound.

Open 洗 →

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 →
Appears in
Hygiene & Grooming

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