Dictionary › 掌握

掌握

zhǎng wò

Old HSK 5 HSK 3.0 level 5 2-character word

掌握 (zhǎng wò) means "to grasp/master (a skill or knowledge)". It is an HSK 3.0 level 5 word, and was HSK 5 in the old six-level list.

What 掌握 means

1. to grasp (often fig.)
2. to control
3. to seize (initiative, opportunity, destiny)
4. to master
5. to know well
6. to understand sth well and know how to use it
7. fluency

The characters in 掌握

• 掌zhǎngpalm of the hand; sole of the foot; paw
• 握wòto hold; to grasp; to clench (one's fist); (bound form) to have in one's control

Example sentences

• 掌握一门外语很难。
  Mastering a foreign language is difficult.
• 他很快就掌握了俄语。
  He acquired Russian quickly.
• 汤姆掌握了三种语言。
  Tom is fluent in three languages.
• 要掌握法语一点都不容易。
  It's not easy to master French at all.
• 他们对法语有很好的掌握度。
  Tāmen duì Fǎyǔ yǒu hěn hǎo de zhǎngwò dù.
  They had a good command of French.
• 很难在2、3年内掌握法语。
  It's quite difficult to master French in 2 or 3 years.

Where 掌握 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Production, Ascent & Vitality (HSK 5), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 5 word, with the rest of its level.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read zhǎng wò correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.