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黑手 (hēi shǒu) — evil backstage manipulator; hidden instigator of malicious schemes

Definition

Literally 'black hand' — refers to the unseen person secretly orchestrating wrongdoing from behind the scenes. Always carries a negative, conspiratorial sense; do not use for ordinary helpers or partners.

noun
evil backstage manipulatorhidden instigator of malicious schemes
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 黑手。
    Jǐng fāng huái yí zhè qǐ zhà piàn àn bèi hòu yǒu hēi shǒu cāo zòng.
    The police suspect an evil backstage manipulator is behind this fraud case.
  • ，黑手。
    Bié kàn tā zài qián tái wēi xiào, tā cái shì zhēn zhèng de hēi shǒu.
    Don't be fooled by his smile on the front stage; he's the real evil backstage manipulator.
  • 黑手。
    Gōng sī lǐ de fǔ bài wèn tí jù shuō yǔ yí gè hēi shǒu yǒu guān.
    The corruption problem in the company is said to be related to an evil backstage manipulator.

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.

黑hēidark or evil
手shǒuhand

黑 means dark or evil and 手 means hand, together suggesting a hidden manipulator.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 黑 seems to come from drawing a head marked with dots, usually read as facial tattoos.

Open 黑 →

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
Crime & Police

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