Chinese word

拳头

Pronunciation

Pinyinquán tou

Meaning

  • nounfist

Example

他用拳头敲了桌子。tā yòng quán tou qiāo le zhuō zi

He knocked on the table with his fist.

Illustration for 拳头 (fist)

More examples

看到对方靠近，他下意识地握紧了拳头。kàn dào duì fāng kào jìn tā xià yì shí dì wò jǐn le quán tou

When he saw the other person approach, he instinctively clenched his fist.

Core concept

A hand with its fingers folded tightly into a compact, rounded shape, used for striking or as a strong emotional gesture.

Common phrases

  • 握紧拳头wò jǐn quán tou

    clench a fist

  • 举起拳头jú qǐ quán tou

    raise a fist

  • 两只拳头liáng zhǐ quán tou

    two fists

Similar words

拳quán: A tightly closed hand with the fingers folded in, commonly used for striking.

Definition in Chinese

把手指合拢成一团的手部，外形呈凸起的圆团，除了用于打人外也可作为表示情绪或姿态的手势。bǎ shóu zhǐ hé lǒng chéng yì tuán de shǒu bù wài xíng chéng tū qǐ de yuán tuán chú le yòng yú dǎ rén wài yě kě zuò wéi biǎo shì qíng xù huò zī tài de shǒu shì

Word origin

拳 (quán, "fist") + 头 (tou, "head") forms a noun for the distinctive shape made by a closed hand.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, 拳头 (quántou, "fist") can describe a raised or clenched hand even when no striking occurs, especially when the gesture shows anger or resolve.

Opposites

Related words

  • 拳手quán shǒuboxernoun
  • 拳击quán jīboxingnoun
  • 拳法quán fǎfist fightingnoun

Word lists with this word