Chinese help?

[CleoQc]

What would this radical mean on its own?
扌

We are baffled... (although we did find how to enter it in the computer)

[CleoQc]

It seems it would mean 'hand'...

[jennynd]

u are half correct. it by it own doesn't mean anything. It does means hand when it be part of the word.

[cellocoffee]

Yes, it does mean hand. When it is written that way is to be part of other characters. For example: 提(lift, raise) 扶(hold, support) 拉(pull), these characters all have something related to hand.

I tell my daughter to treat these "parts" as Latin roots to related English words.
Does that help?

[CleoQc]

THanks. We knew it was a character to be used in conjunction with another one. (to hit was her example), but then she was also asked what it meant on its own.
We ended up finding it in her online classes where a search is impossible. ARGH...

And online searches - which usually works - were giving me nothing. Even online Chinese-French dictionaries told us 'no meaning'. But we eventually found it in the lesson, and confirmed it was 'hand'.

Gee, Chinese is hard when mom doesn't learn the lessons with the child. I'm a good googler, but this is a challenge and a half!

[cellocoffee]

THanks. We knew it was a character to be used in conjunction with another one. (to hit was her example), but then she was also asked what it meant on its own.
Ha ha, that sounds like a typical lesson on character study. It is so typical that I don't think about it's confusing to second language student.

Asking what it meant on its own IS a strange question because Chinese people don't even use them to mean hand by its own in writing. Teachers always make sure you know where all these side parts (boo 4-shou3) come from and their original meaning.

Gee, Chinese is hard when mom doesn't learn the lessons with the child. I'm a good googler, but this is a challenge and a half!
I will remember this when my DD8 gets serious about Latin..:tongue_smilie: