(duì shǒu) - opponent, rival; a match for someone in Mandarin
duìshǒuTraditional: 對手
Translation
opponent, rival; a match for someone
Word origin
A compound of 对 (duì, facing, opposite) and 手 (shǒu, hand, and by extension a person skilled at something), so the hand facing yours.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 对 (duì, facing) + 手 (shǒu, hand, practitioner)
Stroke order
对
手
Examples
。
He is my strongest opponent.
。
The two opponents shook hands.
。
Our opponent is hard to handle.
棋。
At chess I am no match for him.
。
That company is our old rival.
对手 (duì shǒu) is the person across the net, the board or the market from you: an opponent in sport, a rival in business, an adversary in an argument. The 手 is the same one in 歌手 and 高手, where it means a doer rather than a body part.
The idiom to learn is 不是 ... 的对手, which does not mean you are not their opponent but that you are no match for them. 下棋我不是他的对手 concedes defeat before the game starts. It is one of the most common uses of the word in speech.
Do not reach for 敌人 as a synonym. 敌人 is an enemy, with real hostility behind it; a 对手 can be someone you respect and shake hands with afterwards. Sport and business take 对手, wars take 敌人.
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对手: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "对手" (opponent, rival; a match for someone): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 47.