Word

袖手旁观 (xiù shǒu páng guān) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 7

袖手旁观 (xiù shǒu páng guān) is a Chinese word: stand by and watch; look on with folded arms. This page shows its pinyin, translation, example sentences, character breakdown, decomposition, and HSK level.

Meaning of 袖手旁观

成语 chéng yǔ idiom

stand by and watch; look on with folded arms

面对不公,我们不能袖手旁观。

miàn duì bù gōng wǒ men bù néng xiù shǒu páng guān

Facing injustice, we cannot stand by and watch.

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Word breakdown

袖 xiù — sleeve (metaphorically hiding hands)

手 shǒu — hands (folded, inactive)

旁 páng — side, beside (standing aside)

观 guān — observe, watch (without acting)

Structure & writing
1 袖 xiù — sleeve (of a garment)

袖 is not used as a component in any other character.

consists of

Stroke order

2 手 shǒu — hand (the part of the body below the wrist)
手 is a component in 10 characters

手 is an atomic character — it does not decompose further.

Stroke order

3 旁 páng — side; nearby
旁 is a component in 6 characters

consists of

3.3 冖 mì — cover, cloth draped over something
冖 is a component in 32 characters
Show more HSK 5 characters (+1)
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Stroke order

4 观 guān — to observe carefully

观 is not used as a component in any other character.

consists of

4.1 又 yòu — again; indicating repetition or successive occurrence of an action
又 is a component in 38 characters
Show more HSK 3 characters (+3)
Show more HSK 4 characters (+2)
Show more HSK 7 characters (+6)

Stroke order