两手

兩手
liǎngshǒu
noun HSK 6 #45,739

Meanings

  1. 1 both hands
  2. 2 two-pronged (strategy); dual approach
  3. 3 a skill; a few tricks

Characters

Two hands — literally both hands, but often used figuratively for a two-pronged approach.

Examples

Tā liǎng shǒu kōngkōng de huílái le.
He came back empty-handed.
Wǒmen yào liǎng shǒu zhǔnbèi.
We need to prepare on both fronts.
Tā yǒu liǎng shǒu juéhuó.
He has a couple of special skills.
Liǎng shǒu zhuā, liǎng shǒu dōu yào yìng.
Grasp both hands, both must be firm. (A famous policy slogan.)

Tips

culture
两手两手 is a famous political slogan from Deng Xiaoping, meaning China should pursue both economic development and ideological/spiritual civilization simultaneously.
usage
两手空空 (liǎng shǒu kōngkōng) is a common idiom meaning 'empty-handed' — coming or going with nothing.

Stroke Order

liǎng
shǒu