Chinese word

举手

Pronunciation

Pinyinjǔ shǒu

Meaning

  • verbraise one's hand

Example

有问题请举手。yǒu wèn tí qíng jú shǒu

If you have a question, please raise your hand.

Illustration for 举手 (raise one's hand)

More examples

他想回答问题，所以主动举手。tā xiǎng huí dá wèn tí suó yǐ zhǔ dòng jú shǒu

He wanted to answer the question, so he volunteered by raising his hand.

Core concept

A hand held up marks a person's place in a shared activity, from asking to joining a decision.

Common phrases

  • 举手回答jú shǒu huí dá

    raise one's hand to answer

  • 举手发言jú shǒu fā yán

    raise one's hand to speak

Similar words

举起jú qǐ: Lift a hand or object upward.
挥手huī shǒu: Wave a hand from side to side as a greeting or signal.
招手zhāo shǒu: Make a small hand wave to attract someone's attention or call them over.
伸手shēn shǒu: Reach out a hand to take something or ask for help.

Definition in Chinese

把手举起来以表示想发言、提出问题、请求帮助或示意，亦可用于投票或表示赞成的场合。bá shǒu jǔ qǐ lái yǐ biǎo shì xiǎng fā yán tí chū wèn tí qǐng qiú bāng zhù huò shì yì yì kě yòng yú tóu piào huò biǎo shì zàn chéng de chǎng hé

Word origin

The compound combines 举 (jǔ, "lift") with 手 (shǒu, "hand"), linking the upward movement of the hand with a public sign of intent.

Usage tips

  • The polite marker 请 (qǐng, "please") can come before this verb in a classroom direction, helping learners recognize a request even when the sentence has no stated subject.

Other meanings

  • lift one's handverb

Word lists with this word