Definition
甩手 is a separable verb (离合词) with two main uses: literally 'to swing one's arms', and figuratively 'to wash one's hands of something' or 'to refuse to take responsibility'. As a separable verb, you can insert aspect markers, measure words, or duration between the syllables — e.g. 甩了一次手 ('swung arms once'), 甩了甩手 ('swung arms a few times'). The figurative sense often appears in the fixed phrase 甩手不管 ('to wash one's hands of and not care').
v.o.
to swing one's arms(figurative) to wash one's hands ofto refuse to take responsibility
Examples
- ，。Tā shuǎi le yíxià shǒu, biǎoshì bù tóngyì.He swung his arms once to show disagreement.
- 甩手。Zhè jiàn shì nǐ bùnéng shuǎi shǒu bùguǎn.You can't wash your hands of this matter.
- ，。Tā shuǎi le shuǎi shǒu, zhuǎnshēn zǒu le.He swung his arms a few times and turned away.
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