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掌握

Mandarin · pinyin zhǎng wò

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

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Characters in this entry

掌: zhǎng · palm of hand, sole of foot, paw
握: wò · grasp, hold fast, take by hand

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4 · zhang3 wo4

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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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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zoeng2 aak1 · zoeng2 ak1

Cantonese word readings for 掌握. 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.

verb

to be in control of; to take charge of; to hold
to master; to grasp; to know well

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack