Writing Balance Rule: The upper part (shǒu) is compressed to make room for the bottom phonetic/semantic component (zhǎng), keeping the character vertically balanced.
1. Meaning
palm of the hand
sole of the footpawhorseshoeto slapto hold in one's handto wield
Noun / VerbNeutral#anatomy#actions#tools
Sample Usage
他鼓掌欢迎客人的到来。
tā gǔzhǎng huānyíng kèrén de dàilái.
He applauded to welcome the arrival of the guests.
这个公司由他掌管。
zhège gōngsī yóu tā zhǎngguǎn.
This company is managed by him.
2. Sound
/[ʈʂäŋ²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
掌
zhǎngzhang3
|
++
ˇ(214)
=zhǎng
Initial Consonant
zh
Type: Unaspirated Retroflex
Sounds like: j/dr retroflex sound
UnaspiratedRetroflex
Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. Tongue curled up. Tissue stays still.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue tip curled back near hard palate
Final Rhyme
ang
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: -ang rhymes with 'ahng' (father + song)
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ahng'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
2 → 1 → 4 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low in pitch and rises back up, similar to a disbelieving English question 'Really?'
Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, zhǎng changes to a 2nd tone (35) due to 3rd tone sandhi rules.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse the retroflex initial 'zh-' with the alveolar affricate 'j-' or 'z-'. Ensure the tongue is curled back.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: dip down from chest level and sweep upward to eye level.
3. Writing
Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 12 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The upper part (shǒu) is compressed to make room for the bottom phonetic/semantic component (zhǎng), keeping the character vertically balanced.
4. Components
Radical手 · Hand Radical (hand)
Semantic Clue (形旁):手 (indicates actions or concepts related to the hand)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):尚 (original sound: shang)
The top part is a flattened hand (手), and the bottom part is 'shang' (尚), representing the physical surface of the hand you use to hold or strike.
⺡ Variant of hand (手) at the top
尚 Provides sound and structure
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
24· Phonetic Root: 尚 (shàng)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Originally depicted a hand with a marker pointing to the palm area. Later, it combined the hand radical with '尚' to specify the sound and broader meaning.
Semantic Evolution: From the physical palm of the hand, it expanded to mean controlling, wielding, or striking with the palm (slapping).
The character bridges physical anatomy and abstract control (e.g., to manage or direct).
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
chưởng
The rising-falling quality mirrors the Chinese dipping tone in Sino-Vietnamese loanwords.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ショウ (shō) / Kun: てのひら (tenohira)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
장
Sound Shift Bridge: Mandarin zh- frequently aligns with historical dental or retroflex stops in cognate languages.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
You use your HAND (手) to STILL (尚) your opponent by giving them a powerful PALM strike.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
掌
zhǎngpalmBase character with hand meaning.
裳
chánglower garmentUses clothing radical (衣) instead of hand (手).
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
常(cháng)
常 means 'frequent/ordinary' and has the towel/cloth element (巾) at the bottom instead of the full '尚' structure configuration.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
鼓[___]欢迎
Clue: zhǎng
Common Learner Pitfall
Confusing the top hand radical with other similar components like tǔ (土) or shì (士).
Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does 掌 mean when seen in 鼓掌 (gǔzhǎng)?
Production: How do you write the character for 'palm of the hand' with 12 strokes?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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掌zhǎngpalm of the hand
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