tou4 sau2徒手
Jyutpingtou4 sau2
Yaletòuh sáu
Definition
Bare-handed or unarmed; using only one's hands without any tools.
colloquialdaily actionsdescriptions
How it's used
Focuses on the absence of tools or weapons, emphasizing the direct use of one's hands to perform a task. It is frequently used in contexts involving physical feats, such as climbing or catching, or in dramatic descriptions of combat where someone is unarmed. The term carries a sense of raw effort or vulnerability since the person lacks external assistance.
Examples
He actually climbed up bare-handed, it's so dangerous.
Are you planning to open this box with your bare hands?
Related words
Common mistake
Avoid using this to mean 'empty-handed' in the sense of arriving at a party without a gift, as that is better expressed as 兩手空空.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
