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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'to reach out' with 伸手 (shēnshǒu)

    Actions & Events
    Direction & Movement

    Structure

    伸手 + Verb + Object

    Explanation

    伸手 (shēnshǒu) means "to reach out one's hand" or "to extend a hand" and describes the physical action of stretching out an arm to grab, touch, or receive something. It is a verb-object compound where 伸 means "to stretch" and 手 means "hand." It often appears before another action, as in 伸手拿起 (reach out and pick up).

    Examples

    • 她伸手从书架上拿了一本小说。

      Tā shēnshǒu cóng shūjià shàng ná le yì běn xiǎoshuō.

      She reached out and took a novel from the bookshelf.

    • 他伸手去够桌上的杯子，差一点就碰到了。

      Tā shēnshǒu qù gòu zhuō shàng de bēizi, chà yìdiǎn jiù pèng dào le.

      He reached out to grab the cup on the table and almost touched it.

    • 小女孩伸手接住了飘落的树叶。

      Xiǎo nǚhái shēnshǒu jiē zhù le piāoluò de shùyè.

      The little girl reached out and caught a falling leaf.

    Expressing 'to reach out' with 伸手 (shēnshǒu) | Chinese Grammar