Chinese word

拿手

Pronunciation

Pinyinná shǒu

Meaning

  • adjectivegood at

Example

他做菜很拿手。tā zuò cài hěn ná shǒu

He is very good at cooking.

Illustration for 拿手 (good at)

More examples

她对手工活很拿手，常做出漂亮的作品。tā duì shǒu gōng huó hěn ná shǒu cháng zuò chū piào liàng de zuò pǐn

She is very good at handiwork and often makes beautiful pieces.

Core concept

The particular ability that comes most naturally and successfully to a person.

Common phrases

  • 拿手本领ná shǒu bén lǐng

    special skill

  • 拿手菜肴ná shǒu cài yáo

    specialty dish

  • 对谈判很拿手duì tán pàn hěn ná shǒu

    be good at negotiating

Similar words

擅长shàn cháng: Being notably capable in a certain field or line of work.
熟练shú liàn: Showing accurate, quick performance gained through practice.
精通jīng tōng: Being highly skilled through deep knowledge of a particular field.

Definition in Chinese

用来形容某人在某项技能或事务上有明显优势或擅长，强调个人的强项或手艺，常见于口语表达。yòng lái xíng róng mǒu rén zài mǒu xiàng jì néng huò shì wù shàng yǒu míng xiǎn yōu shì huò shàn cháng qiáng diào gè rén de qiáng xiàng huò shǒu yì cháng jiàn yú kóu yǔ biǎo dá

Word origin

The compound 拿 (ná, "handle") + 手 (shǒu, "hand") connects skilled handling with a person's strongest practical ability.

Usage tips

  • This word suits spoken praise of a specific ability, especially when describing what someone does better than other tasks.

Opposites

  • 不得手bù dé shǒunot good atadjective

Related words

  • 拿手本领ná shǒu bén lǐngspecial skillnoun
  • 拿手菜肴ná shǒu cài yáospecialty dishnoun

Word lists with this word