HSK 5 · Verbs

掌握 zhǎngwò “to master” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 掌握 means

  1. to master
  2. to grasp
  3. to control
  4. to grasp (often fig.)
  5. to seize (initiative, opportunity, destiny)
More meanings from CC-CEDICT
  • to know well
  • to understand sth well and know how to use it

How to say 掌握

  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale掌zhǎng3rd tone, dipping
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale握wò4th tone, falling

掌握 in a sentence

  1. 掌握一门外语很难。

    Zhǎngwò yì mén wàiyǔ hěn nán.

    Mastering a foreign language is difficult.

    Sentence #8463554 from Tatoeba

  2. 这个课程能帮助你掌握正确发音。

    Zhè ge kèchéng néng bāngzhù nǐ zhǎngwò zhèngquè fāyīn.

    This course will help you master correct pronunciation.

    Sentence #346203 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters

  3. 他很快就掌握了俄语。

    Tā hěn kuài jiù zhǎngwò le Éyǔ.

    He quickly mastered Russian.

    Sentence #10502291 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

How 掌握 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 掌 (zhǎng) with each of its parts in a different colour
掌zhǎngpalm of the hand
  • 尚still · shàngSound part
  • 手hand · shǒuMeaning part

手 hints at the meaning (hand); 尚 (shàng) hints at the sound. Compare it with zhǎng.

The character 握 (wò) with each of its parts in a different colour
握wòto hold; to grasp
  • 扌hand form of 手 · shǒuMeaning part
  • 屋building · wūSound part

扌 hints at the meaning (hand); 屋 (wū) hints at the sound. Compare it with wò.

How to write 掌握

掌 12 strokes · 握 12 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

掌握 (zhǎngwò) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 掌握 (zhǎngwò). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 掌握

Words with 掌

鼓掌gǔzhǎng · to applaud

Words with 握

把握bǎwò · to grasp (also fig.)握手wòshǒu · to shake hands

More words: Common Verbs

摘zhāi · to pick (fruit占zhàn · to occupy粘贴zhāntiē · to paste展开zhǎnkāi · to unfold招待zhāodài · to hold a reception着火zháohuǒ · to catch fire召开zhàokāi · to convene (a conference or meeting)针对zhēnduì · to target

FAQs

掌握 (zhǎngwò) means “to master” or “to grasp”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it zhǎngwò: zhǎng with a 3rd tone, then wò with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 掌握 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type zhangwo with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 掌握 from the suggestions. Typing zhangwo into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
掌握 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.