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左右手

Mandarin · pinyin zuǒ yòu shǒu

left and right hands
(fig.) capable assistant
right-hand man

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Characters in this entry

左: zuǒ · left; east; unorthodox, improper
右: yòu · right; west; right-wing
手: shǒu · hand

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–4–3 · zuo3 you4 shou3

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zo2 jau6 sau2

Cantonese word readings for 左右手. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

(figurative) right-hand man; capable assistant

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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