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Expressing 'in one's hand' with 手里 (shǒu lǐ)
Location & Position
Structure
手里 + 的 + Noun
Explanation
The noun phrase 手里 (shǒu lǐ) means "in one's hand" or "in hand" and uses the localizer 里 to indicate location within the hand. It is commonly used to describe objects someone is holding or possessing at the moment. For instance, 手里的牌 means "the tiles/cards in one's hand."
Examples
你手里拿的是什么？
nǐ shǒu lǐ ná de shì shénme?
What are you holding in your hand?
他手里只剩下最后两张牌了。
tā shǒu lǐ zhǐ shèng xià zuìhòu liǎng zhāng pái le.
He only has two cards left in his hand.
她手里的那杯咖啡还没喝完。
tā shǒu lǐ de nà bēi kāfēi hái méi hē wán.
The cup of coffee in her hand isn't finished yet.