手头

手頭

shǒutóu

noun HSK 7 #4,788

Meanings

1 on hand; at hand
2 one's financial situation

Characters

Literally 'at the tip of one's hand' — what's readily within reach.

Examples

我手头没有现金。

Wǒ shǒutóu méiyǒu xiànjīn.

I don't have any cash on me.

他最近手头紧。

Tā zuìjìn shǒutóu jǐn.

He's been tight on money lately.

手头有什么工具就用什么。

Shǒutóu yǒu shénme gōngjù jiù yòng shénme.

Just use whatever tools you have on hand.

Tips

usage

手头紧 (tight on money) and 手头宽裕 (flush with cash) are very common expressions. 手头 often implies available resources — not total wealth, but what you have accessible right now.

Stroke Order

手 shǒu

头 tóu