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- to grasp (often fig.)
- to control
- to seize (initiative, opportunity, destiny)
- to master
- to know well
- to understand sth well and know how to use it
- fluency
Trad. 瞭如指掌
- variant of 了如指掌[liao3 ru2 zhi3 zhang3]
Trad. 甩手掌櫃
- lit. arm-flinging shopkeeper
- fig. sb who asks others to work but does nothing himself
Trad. 孤掌難鳴
- It's hard to clap with only one hand.
- It takes two to tango
- It's difficult to achieve anything without support.
- fig. to rub one's fists and wipe one's palms (idiom)
- to roll up one's sleeves for battle
- eager to get into action or start on a task
- easy as a hand's turn (idiom); very easy
- no effort at all
- to know sth like the back of one's hand (idiom)
- to know (a person, a place etc) inside out
- to clasp hands
- to put one's palms together (in obeisance)
Trad. 魚與熊掌
- lit. the fish and the bear's paw, you can't have both at the same time (idiom, from Mencius); fig. you must choose one or the other
- you can't always get everything you want
- you can't have your cake and eat it
- lit. a pearl in the palm (idiom)
- fig. beloved person (esp. daughter)
Trad. 掌上電腦
- handheld computer
- PDA (personal digital assistant)
- Pocket PC
Trad. 掌璽大臣
- chancellor (rank in various European states)
- grand chancellor
Trad. 仙人掌桿菌
- (microbiology) Bacillus cereus
Trad. 長掌義縣龍
- Yixianosaurus longimanus, theropod dinosaur from Yi county 義縣|义县, Jinzhou 錦州|锦州, west Liaoning
Trad. 如來佛的掌心
- the palm of the Buddha's hand (a metaphor for a higher authority or force from whose control one cannot break free, from 西遊記|西游记[Xi1 you2 ji4], "Journey to the West")
Trad. 一個巴掌拍不響
- lit. one palm alone cannot clap (proverb)
- fig. it takes two persons to start a dispute
- it takes two to tango
- it's difficult to achieve anything without support
Trad. 魚與熊掌不可兼得
- lit. the fish and the bear's paw, you can't have both at the same time (idiom, from Mencius); fig. you must choose one or the other
- you can't always get everything you want
- you can't have your cake and eat it
Trad. 打一巴掌，給個甜棗
- lit. to give sb a slap, then offer a sweet date (idiom)
- fig. to deal harshly with sb, then offer sth by way of consolation