Chinese word

握手

Pronunciation

Pinyinwò shǒu

Meaning

  • verbshake hands

Example

见面时大家都会握手。jiàn miàn shí dà jiā dū huì wò shǒu

Everyone shakes hands when they meet.

Illustration for 握手 (shake hands)

More examples

欢迎客人时，经理上前与客人握手。huān yíng kè rén shí jīng lǐ shàng qián yǔ kè rén wò shǒu

When welcoming guests, the manager stepped forward and shook hands with them.

Core concept

One person's hand meets and holds another's in a brief social gesture.

Common phrases

  • 见面时握手jiàn miàn shí wò shǒu

    shake hands when meeting

  • 与客人握手yǔ kè rén wò shǒu

    shake hands with guests

Similar words

打招呼dǎ zhāo hū: Using words or a gesture to greet someone.
挥手huī shǒu: Waving a hand to say hello or signal to someone.
点头diǎn tóu: Nodding the head to show agreement or offer a greeting.

Definition in Chinese

以手掌或手指抓住对方的手，作为问候、见面礼或表示同意的行为。yǐ shóu zhǎng huò shóu zhǐ zhuā zhù duì fāng de shǒu zuò wéi wèn hòu jiàn miàn lǐ huò biǎo shì tóng yì de xíng wéi

Word origin

握手 (wòshǒu, "shake hands") is a transparent compound of 握 (wò, "grasp") + 手 (shǒu, "hand"), so its literal structure directly describes the action.

Usage tips

  • In Chinese-speaking settings, this word commonly appears when greetings occur during formal introductions, business meetings, or public events.

Other meanings

  • handshakenoun

Word lists with this word