The Chinese word 新手 (xīnshǒu), meaning "beginner" or "novice", is a compound word formed by combining the character 新 (xīn), meaning "new", with 手 (shǒu), which literally means "hand". Here, 手 is used metaphorically to denote a person who performs a certain activity or role (similar to the "-er" suffix in English, as in "worker"). Therefore, 新手 literally translates to "new hand", semantically conveying the idea of a person who is new to a task, skill, or field, emphasizing their initial stage and lack of experience.