Dictionary › 了如指掌

了如指掌

liǎo rú zhǐ zhǎng

4-character word

What 了如指掌 means

1. to know sth like the back of one's hand (idiom)
2. to know (a person, a place etc) inside out

Other readings

了如指掌 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• liǎo rú zhǐ zhǎngvariant of {了如指掌|liǎo rú zhǐ zhǎng}

The characters in 了如指掌

• 了le(completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now)…
• 如rúas; as if; such as
• 指zhǐfinger; to point at or to; to indicate or refer to
• 掌zhǎngpalm of the hand; sole of the foot; paw

Example sentences

• 我对纽约了如指掌。
  Wǒ duì Niǔyuē liǎorúzhǐzhǎng.
  I know New York like the back of my hand.
• 他对纽约了如指掌。
  He knows New York inside out.
• 他对那件事了如指掌。
  He knows every inch of this area.
• 他对这个地方了如指掌。
  Tā duì zhège dìfang liǎorúzhǐzhǎng.
  He knows every inch of this area.
• 他对她的过去似乎了如指掌。
  Tā duì tā de guòqù sìhū liǎorúzhǐzhǎng.
  He seems to know all about her past.