She scooped up a handful of clear spring water in her palms.
Tips
usage
掬 is to cup both hands and scoop something up, like water. It also serves as a measure for a double handful. The idiom 笑容可掬 describes a smile so abundant you could scoop it up in your hands.
Supplies the sound, read identically as jū. It originally pictured grain held in a curved hand, so it also faintly reinforces the cupping image, though it works mainly as a pronunciation marker.
