noun HSK 4
Traditional 拳頭
quán tou
fist · clenched hand

Meaning

拳头 literally means 'fist' and refers to a hand with fingers curled tightly into the palm. It can be used both literally to describe the physical fist and figuratively to represent strength, power, or force.

Usage

Commonly used in both literal contexts (握紧拳头 'clench one's fist') and figurative expressions about power or authority. Native speakers often use it in idioms and phrases related to strength, fighting ability, or having the upper hand in a situation. The term can also appear in political or economic contexts to mean 'core strength' or 'trump card'.

Examples

  1. 01
    他生气地握紧了拳头
    shēng de jǐn le quán tou.
    He angrily clenched his fist.
  2. 02
    这款手机是我们公司的拳头产品。
    Zhè kuǎn shǒu shì men gōng de quán tou chǎn pǐn.
    This phone model is our company's flagship product.

Characters

Measure words

  • 一个拳头

Common collocations

  • 握紧拳头
    jǐn quán tou
    to clench one's fist
  • 拳头
    huī quán tou
    to swing a fist, to punch
  • 拳头产品
    quán tou chǎn pǐn
    flagship product, core product
  • 捏紧拳头
    niē jǐn quán tou
    to clench one's fist tightly

Antonyms

Origin

拳 is a pictophonetic character combining 手 (hand) with a phonetic component, originally depicting a clenched hand. 头 here functions as a noun suffix. Together they form a common compound noun pattern in Chinese.

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