拙

zhuō

出 + 扌

Definitions

zhuō awkward; clumsy; dull; inelegant; (polite) my; Taiwan pr. [zhuó]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 扌 represents the meaning and 出 represents the sound.

Semantic: 扌 Phonetic: 出

About

The character 拙 is a phono-semantic compound. Its left-side hand radical 扌 provides the semantic context of physical action or manipulation, while the right-side component 出 serves as the phonetic indicator. The core meaning relates to clumsiness or a lack of manual dexterity, describing actions performed poorly. Beyond this literal sense of unskillfulness, it developed a pragmatic function in classical Chinese, used as a self-deprecating modifier to politely describe one's own abilities, writings, or opinions as inferior.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我哥哥做事很笨拙。

Wǒ gēge zuòshì hěn bènzhuō.

My older brother does things very clumsily.

她的舞蹈动作有点拙劣。

Tā de wǔdǎo dòngzuò yǒudiǎn zhuōliè.

Her dance movements are a bit clumsy.

这是我的拙作，请多指教。

Zhè shì wǒ de zhuōzuò, qǐng duō zhǐjiào.

This is my humble work, please give me your advice.

我想提出一点拙见供参考。

Wǒ xiǎng tíchū yīdiǎn zhuōjiàn gōng cānkǎo.

I want to offer a humble opinion for reference.

尽管手拙，他仍然喜欢画画。

Jǐnguǎn shǒu zhuō, tā réngrán xǐhuān huàhuà.

Although clumsy-handed, he still likes drawing.

他的拙劣表演引起了大家的批评。

Tā de zhuōliè biǎoyǎn yǐnqǐle dàjiā de pīpíng.

His clumsy performance attracted everyone's criticism.

我用拙笔记录下这感人的瞬间。

Wǒ yòng zhuōbǐ jìlù xià zhè gǎnrén de shùnjiān.

I recorded this touching moment with my clumsy pen.

面对复杂的任务，他的拙技暴露无遗。

Miànduì fùzá de rènwù, tā de zhuō jì bàolù wú yí.

Facing the complex task, his clumsy skills were completely exposed.

Related Characters

Component: 出

Component: 扌

拙