Chinese word dictionary

掣肘

chè zhǒu · to hold sb back by the elbow; to impede; to hinder

Practice word

Word information

Simplified掣肘

Traditional掣肘

Pinyinchè zhǒu

Part of speechDictionary

HSK 3.0Not listed

HSK 2.0Not listed

Character breakdown

Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.

掣chè

to pull, to drag; to hinder, to pull back

肘zhǒu

elbow, shoulder; to help someone carry a load

How to learn 掣肘

Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.

When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.