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高手 (gāo shǒu) — expert, master (in a skill or field)

Definition

高手 is a casual, admiring term for a top-level expert, often in a hands-on skill (sports, games, tech). Compared with 专家 (formal, academic field) and 行家/内行 (seasoned insider), it is more colloquial and emphasizes practical mastery.

noun
expertmaster (in a skill or field)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 高手。
    Tā shì wǒ men tuán duì lǐ de jì shù gāo shǒu.
    He is the technical expert in our team.
  • 高手，。
    Yào xiǎng chéng wéi gāo shǒu, bì xū fù chū hěn duō nǔ lì.
    To become an expert, you must work very hard.
  • 高手。
    Tā zài pīng pāng qiú fāng miàn shì gè zhēn zhèng de gāo shǒu.
    He is a true expert in table tennis.

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.

高gāohigh
手shǒuperson

高手 combines 高, meaning high or excellent, with 手, referring to a person skilled in something.

Characters in this word

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

高 was drawn as a tall building.

Open 高 →

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
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