下手

下手

1. player whose turn comes next
2. (colloquial) assistant; aide

   我需要有人在我旁邊幫我打下手。 [MSC, trad.]
   我需要有人在我旁边帮我打下手。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ xūyào yǒu rén zài wǒ pángbiān bāng wǒ dǎxiàshǒu. [Pinyin]

   I need someone by my side to help me.

3. (Puxian Min) subordinate, underling
4. (Xianyou Puxian Min) someone from a younger generation (one's children or younger siblings)
5. alternative form of 下首 (xiàshǒu, “side of lower priority or less honour”)

• (player): 下家 (xiàjiā)

下手

1. to start doing something; to take action; to go about something

   我不知道如何下手。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]

   Wǒ bù zhīdào rúhé xiàshǒu. [Pinyin]

   I don't know how to go about it.

2. to commit a crime/to initiate an ambush/sneak attack

   • 來到此處，東也無人，西也無人，這裡不下手，等甚麼？我隨身帶的有繩子。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
     来到此处，东也无人，西也无人，这里不下手，等什么？我随身带的有绳子。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]

     From: Yuan Dynasty, Guan Hanqing, The Injustice to Dou E

     Láidào cǐchù, dōng yě wúrén, xī yě wúrén, zhèlǐ bù xiàshǒu, děng shénme? Wǒ suíshēn dài de yǒu shéngzǐ. [Pinyin]

     Arriving at this place, there's no one east and west, if we don't strike here, what are we waiting for? I have on me some rope.

• (to start doing something):

• 莆田市政协文化文史和学习委员会 [Culture, History and Learning Committee of Putian CPPCC], editor (2021), “下手”, in 莆仙方言大词典 [Comprehensive Dictionary of Puxian Dialect] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), Xiamen University Press, →ISBN, pages 271, 421.

Probably a semantic shift from 端 (heta, “edge of something”), referring metaphorically to the edge of one's abilities or knowledge.^[1]

The kanji spelling appears to be an instance of jukujikun (熟(じゅく)字(じ)訓(くん)).

• (Tokyo) へた [hètáꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[2][3][4]
• IPA^(key): [he̞ta̠]

下手(へた) • (heta) -na (adnominal 下手(へた)な (heta na), adverbial 下手(へた)に (heta ni))

1. unskilled, bad at, poor at, weak at, incompetent
2. superficial, halfhearted, half-assed, careless
3. smaller or lesser in degree

下手(へた) • (heta) 

1. a mistake, a poor result, a screwup

   大(だい)事(じ)な所(ところ)で下手(へた)をやったな。

   Daiji na tokoro de heta o yatta na.

   Well, you really made a mistake right when it was important.

下手(へた)する • (heta suru) suru (stem 下手(へた)し (heta shi), past 下手(へた)した (heta shita))

1. to make a mistake, to screw up

• 上(じょう)手(ず) (jōzu)

Compound of 下 (shita, “down; under; lower”) +‎ 手 (te, “hand”).^[1][2][5]

Occasionally encountered with rendaku (連(れん)濁(だく)), where the -te ending changes to -de.

• (Tokyo) したて [shìtáté] (Heiban – [0])^[2][3][4]
• IPA^(key): [ɕi̥ta̠te̞]

• (Tokyo) したで [shìtádé] (Heiban – [0])^[2][3]
• IPA^(key): [ɕi̥ta̠de̞]

下手(したで) • (shitade) -na (adnominal 下手(したで)な (shitade na), adverbial 下手(したで)に (shitade ni))

1. humble

The shitade reading is more common for the adjective sense.

下(した)手(て) • (shitate) 

1. the lower part, especially downstream or downwind

   Synonym: (see below) 下手 (shimote)

   Antonym: 上手 (uwate)

2. someone at a disadvantage or lower relative to another person, in terms of rank or ability

   Antonym: 上手 (uwate)

3. (sumo) an underhand or lower hand hold, in which the wrestler's hand or arm is underneath or on the inside of the opponent's hand or arm

   Antonym: 上手 (uwate)

Compound of 下 (shimo, “lower”) +‎ 手 (te, “hand”).^[1][2][5]

• (Tokyo) しもて [shìmóté] (Heiban – [0])^[2][3][4]
• (Tokyo) しもて [shìmótéꜜ] (Odaka – [3])^[2][3][4]
• IPA^(key): [ɕimo̞te̞]

下(しも)手(て) • (shimote) 

1. downstream; the lower portion of a slope

   Antonym: 上手 (kamite)

2. (theater) downstage, specifically the left side of the stage as viewed from the audience

   Antonym: 上手 (kamite)

Compound of 下り (kudari, “descending”, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 下る (kudaru, “to descend, to go down”)) +‎ 手 (te, “hand; side, direction”).^[1]

• IPA^(key): [kɯ̟da̠ɾʲite̞]

下(くだり)手(て) • (kudarite) 

1. (uncommon) cheap, low-quality goods

   Synonym: 安物 (yasumono)

From Middle Chinese 下手 (MC haeX|haeH syuwX).

• IPA^(key): [ɡe̞ɕɨ]

下(げ)手(しゅ) • (geshu) 

1. (uncommon) someone of low status or rank

下(げ)手(しゅ)する • (geshu suru) suru (stem 下(げ)手(しゅ)し (geshu shi), past 下(げ)手(しゅ)した (geshu shita))

1. (uncommon) to lower one's hand onto something, to set one's hand onto something

• “〈下手〉”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026