Kilo Lingo

(shā shǒu) - killer, assassin, hitman in Mandarin

shāshǒu

Traditional: 殺手

Line drawing of 杀手
Coloured illustration of 杀手
#1575 of 5,000 Core 5000

Translation

killer, assassin, hitman

Word origin

A compound of 杀 (shā, to kill) and 手 (shǒu, hand, by extension a person skilled at something), naming a person whose trade is killing.

Origin
compound
Root
杀 (shā, to kill) + 手 (shǒu, hand, expert)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 杀

Stroke order for 手

Examples

This film tells the story of an assassin.

The police are hunting that killer.

He was hired to be a hitman.

yǐnxíng

Stress is an invisible killer of health.

That player is the team's top scorer.

杀手 (shā shǒu) means a killer, assassin or hitman, with 手 marking it as a practised hand at the task. It is also used figuratively, as in a silent killer of health or a top goal-scorer in sport.

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Mandarin · Free printables

杀手: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "杀手" (killer, assassin, hitman): 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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This word is part of lesson 32.