Chinese word

牵手

Pronunciation

Pinyinqiān shǒu

Meaning

  • verbhold hands

Example

他们在公园里牵手散步。tā men zài gōng yuán lǐ qiān shǒu sàn bù

They walked in the park holding hands.

Illustration for 牵手 (hold hands)

More examples

小女孩和妈妈牵手过马路。xiáo nǚ hái hé mā mā qiān shǒu guò mǎ lù

The little girl and her mother crossed the street holding hands.

Core concept

A physical joining of hands that expresses closeness, mutual support, or united action.

Common phrases

  • 情侣牵手qíng lǚ qiān shǒu

    couples hold hands

  • 和妈妈牵手hé mā mā qiān shǒu

    hold hands with one's mother

  • 和我牵手hé wǒ qiān shǒu

    hold hands with me

Similar words

握手wò shǒu: Shake hands as a greeting or to mark an agreement.
拉手lā shǒu: Take someone's hand to guide them or lead them along.
携手xié shǒu: Join hands and move forward together, often in a formal or figurative way.
联手lián shǒu: Work together or team up to achieve something.

Definition in Chinese

以手抓住对方的手，通常指亲密或互相扶持的动作，也可比喻双方合作或联手。yǐ shǒu zhuā zhù duì fāng de shǒu tōng cháng zhǐ qīn mì huò hù xiāng fú chí de dòng zuò yě kě bǐ yù shuāng fāng hé zuò huò lián shǒu

Word origin

The compound combines 牵 (qiān, "lead or pull") + 手 (shǒu, "hand"), creating the image of one person taking or joining another person's hand and extending naturally to cooperation.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the expression does not by itself identify a romantic couple; friends, relatives, and people offering support can also be described this way.

Other meanings

  • cooperateverb
  • team upverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word