掌握 meaning in English

zhǎngwò

to grasp (often fig.); to control

HSK 5verb24 strokes

Meaning of 掌握

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

zhǎngwò

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

How to use 掌握

掌握 is used for skills, knowledge, methods, and also for control over situations, power, or one's own fate. It sounds a bit more formal than 学会 (xuéhuì). Example: 他已经掌握了这门技术。(Tā yǐjīng zhǎngwò le zhè mén jìshù.) He has already mastered this technique.

掌 (zhǎng) is the palm of the hand, as in 手掌 (shǒuzhǎng), and 握 (wò) means to grip, as in 握手 (wòshǒu). When you hold something firmly in your palm, you have control of it, so 掌握 means to master or have a firm grasp of something.

Common mistake: Learners often mix up 掌握 and 把握 (bǎwò). 掌握 is about mastering knowledge or holding control, while 把握 is more about seizing a chance or having confidence, as in 有把握 (yǒu bǎwò), to be sure of success. You say 掌握语法 for grammar, not 把握语法.

掌握 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

两liǎng三sān年nián就jiù想xiǎng掌zhǎng握wò法fǎ语yǔ是shì很hěn困kùn难nán的de。

It's quite difficult to master French in 2 or 3 years.

掌zhǎng握wò一yī门mén外wài语yǔ很hěn难nán。

Mastering a foreign language is difficult.

我wǒ关guān于yú日rì语yǔ的de知zhī识shí掌zhǎng握wò得de还hái不bú是shì很hěn好hǎo。

My knowledge about Japanese is not that good yet.

一yí个gè外wài国guó语yǔ言yán无wú法fǎ在zài一yī年nián左zuǒ右yòu就jiù被bèi掌zhǎng握wò。

A foreign language can't be mastered in a year or so.

要yào掌zhǎng握wò法fǎ语yǔ一yì点diǎn都dōu不bù容róng易yì。

It's not easy to master French at all.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

掌 zhǎng · in charge · 12 strokes

握 wò · to hold · 12 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 掌握.

把握	bǎwò	to grasp (also fig.); to seize
握手	wòshǒu	to shake hands
鼓掌	gǔzhǎng	to applaud; to clap
掌声	zhǎngshēng	applause
掌管	zhǎngguǎn	in charge of; to control
手掌	shǒuzhǎng	palm
掌控	zhǎngkòng	to control; in control of
握住	wòzhù	to grip; to hold
了如指掌	liǎorúzhǐzhǎng	to know sth like the back of one's hand (idiom); to know (a person, a place etc) inside ou
掌权	zhǎngquán	to wield (political etc) power; be in power
击掌	jīzhǎng	to clap one's hands; to clap each other's hands
仙人掌	xiānrénzhǎng	cactus

Questions about 掌握

What does 掌握 mean?

掌握 (zhǎngwò) means "to grasp (often fig.); to control" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 掌握?

掌握 is made of 2 characters: 掌 (12 strokes), 握 (12 strokes). That is 24 strokes in total.

Is 掌握 an HSK word?

Yes. 掌握 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

Can 掌握 be used for a language?

Yes. 掌握一门外语 (zhǎngwò yì mén wàiyǔ) means to master a foreign language. It implies you know it well enough to actually use it, not just that you studied it.

Does 掌握 mean physically holding something?

Rarely. In modern Chinese it is almost always figurative, about knowledge, skills, power, or information. For physically holding an object, use 拿 (ná) or 握 (wò) instead.