Chinese word

得手

Pronunciation

Pinyindé shǒu

Meaning

  • verbget one's hands on

Example

小偷终于得手了。xiǎo tōu zhōng yú dé shǒu le

The thief finally got his hands on it.

Illustration for 得手 (get one's hands on)

More examples

在拍卖会上，他出价最高，终于得手那幅画。zài pāi mài huì shàng tā chū jià zuì gāo zhōng yú dé shǒu nà fú huà

At the auction, he placed the highest bid and finally got his hands on the painting.

Core concept

A decisive action turns a wanted target into something held when the right chance appears.

Common phrases

  • 终于得手zhōng yú dé shǒu

    finally get one's hands on

  • 难以得手nán yǐ dé shǒu

    be difficult to get one's hands on

Similar words

得到dé dào: Receive or come to have a thing, piece of information, or result.
获得huò dé: Gain a result, benefit, or right through effort or suitable conditions.
拿到ná dào: Get a physical thing by receiving it directly or taking it into one's hands.
取得qǔ dé: Acquire a qualification, right, or result through a formal process.

Definition in Chinese

通过行动或机会把东西或目标拿到手，常指经过努力或趁机成功取得。tōng guò xíng dòng huò jī huì bǎ dōng xī huò mù biāo ná dào shǒu cháng zhǐ jīng guò nǔ lì huò chèn jī chéng gōng qǔ dé

Word origin

The pairing of 得 (dé, "obtain") with 手 (shǒu, "hand") makes acquisition concrete as getting a desired object into one's hand.

Usage tips

  • It suits an attempt that finally succeeds, especially when timing matters, rather than a routine statement about owning or receiving something.

Other meanings

  • snatchverb

Opposites

  • 失手shī shǒufailverb

Word lists with this word