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生手 (shēng shǒu) — beginner, novice (someone lacking experience in a task)

Definition

A noun for a person who is new or inexperienced at a task, with a slightly negative tone — it stresses the lack of skill, not just being new. Unlike 新手, which is neutral, 生手 highlights the worker's clumsiness.

noun
beginnernovice (someone lacking experience in a task)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 生手，。
    Tā shì yí gè shēng shǒu, zuò shì hái bù shú liàn.
    He is a beginner and still not skilled at work.
  • ，生手。
    Bié pī píng tā, shēng shǒu dōu zhè yàng.
    Don't criticize him; all beginners are like this.
  • 生手。
    Zhè fèn gōng zuò bú shì hé shēng shǒu lái zuò.
    This job is not suitable for a novice to do.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

生shēngunfamiliar/new
手shǒuperson/hand

生 means unfamiliar or new, and 手 refers to a person or hand, giving a novice.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

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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