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老虎钳 (lǎo hǔ qián) — vise (bench clamp for holding work); pincer pliers (heavy-duty pliers for gripping and cutting)

Definition

老虎钳 literally means "tiger pliers" — a heavy-duty gripping/cutting tool (like locking pliers or vise-grips). In everyday use it covers both vise-like clamps and pincer pliers, so prefer this single word when you don't need to distinguish the two.

noun
vise (bench clamp for holding work)pincer pliers (heavy-duty pliers for gripping and cutting)
Measure word · 把

Examples

  • 老虎钳。
    Tā yòng lǎo hǔ qián bǎ tiě sī jiǎn duàn le.
    He cut the wire with a pair of pliers.
  • 老虎钳。
    Gōng rén bǎ líng jiàn jiá zài lǎo hǔ qián shàng gù dìng.
    The worker clamped the part in the vise to secure it.
  • 老虎钳。
    Qǐng dì gěi wǒ nà bǎ lǎo hǔ qián.
    Please hand me that pair of pliers.

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.

老虎tiger
老lǎoold虎hǔtiger
前缀Prefix
钳qiánpliers

“老虎” means tiger and “钳” means pliers; the name evokes jaws that grip like a tiger's.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 老 combines 人 (man), 毛 (hair), and 匕 (cane), showing a man with long hair leaning on a cane.

Open 老 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

虎 originally drew a tiger's head. Its body disappeared, and the legs and tail became the lower part.

Open 虎 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 钳 →
Appears in
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