神投手 (shén tóu shǒu) — sharpshooter; great shooter (especially in basketball)

Definition

A 神投手 is a player with an exceptionally accurate shot — a 'sharpshooter' on a team, most often in basketball. The 神 emphasizes outstanding, almost superhuman accuracy, more emphatic than just a good shooter.

noun
sharpshootergreat shooter (especially in basketball)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 神投手。
    Tā shì wǒ men duì de shén tóu shǒu.
    He is our team's sharpshooter.
  • 神投手。
    Zhè wèi shén tóu shǒu zài bǐ sài zhōng tóu jìn le shí gè sān fēn qiú.
    This sharpshooter made ten three-pointers in the game.
  • 神投手。
    Tā shì yì míng zhí yè lán qiú shén tóu shǒu.
    He is a professional basketball sharpshooter.

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.

神shéndivine
投手thrower
投tóuthrow手shǒuperson
偏正Modifier + head

神 means divine or excellent, while 投 means throw and 手 means person, making a great thrower.

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
示示shìgod; deity
Sound part声符shēngfú
申
申shēn神shén
Same sound today

The older form 申 drew lightning, which the ancients regarded as divine; 神 adds 示 (god/deity) to mark that meaning.

Open 神 →

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
殳
殳shū投tóu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 扌 shows a hand, and the right part 殳 gives the sound of the character.

Open 投 →

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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