Chinese Conversation · Level 25
90 words
Chinese word
随手
Pronunciation
Pinyinsuí shǒu
Meaning
- adverbcasually
Example
我随手拿起了桌上的笔。wǒ suí shǒu ná qǐ le zhuō shàng de bǐ
I casually picked up the pen on the desk.
More examples
她起身离开时，随手关了灯。tā qǐ shēn lí kāi shí suí shǒu guān le dēng
When she got up to leave, she casually turned off the light.
Core concept
A small action carried out along the way, with little preparation or extra effort.
Common phrases
随手记下suí shǒu jì xià
jot down casually
随手关灯suí shǒu guān dēng
turn off the light while you're at it
随手带走suí shǒu dài zǒu
take along casually
Similar words
顺手shùn shǒu: Doing a small extra action naturally as part of an ongoing activity because it is convenient.
顺便shùn biàn: Taking the opportunity to do another task while running an errand or going somewhere.
Definition in Chinese
表示在做一件事的同时，顺手把另一件小事处理掉，含有动作简单、无特别准备的意味。biǎo shì zài zuò yí jiàn shì de tóng shí shùn shǒu bǎ lìng yí jiàn xiǎo shì chú lǐ diào hán yǒu dòng zuò jiǎn dān wú tè bié zhǔn bèi de yì wèi
Word origin
随 (suí, "follow") + 手 (shǒu, "hand") gives the image of the hand following the ongoing action to handle one more small task.
Usage tips
- English casually often describes an informal manner or attitude, while this word commonly marks a second practical action done in the course of something else rather than an action done carelessly.