How to Write 搿 (gé) — Meaning “break apart / hold with both hands”

Imagine two hands (扌) shaking or holding something, while the right side 合 looks like a person (亻) with a mouth (口) saying "together." So picture two people shaking hands (搿手) or breaking a stick together. This visual helps link the shape to both meanings of joining and separating.

Stroke order: write the left radical 扌 (horizontal, vertical hook, lift), then the right side 合 (top to bottom: 亻, then horizontal, then 口). Common mistakes include making the right side too wide or confusing 合 with 各 (gè). Also, ensure the lift stroke of 扌 points upward without crossing into the right component.

搿 (gé) means to hold with both hands or break apart, focusing on two-handed action. 掌 (zhǎng) means 'palm' and is used in words like 手掌 (hand palm), while 掣 (chè) means 'to pull' or 'to draw', as in 掣电 (lightning flash). Visually, 搿 has 合 on the right, 掌 has 尚 on top, and 掣 has 制 on top.

搿 is rare in standard Mandarin and not in the HSK vocabulary, but it appears in some dialects and literary contexts, such as 搿手 (gé shǒu, shake hands) and 搿开 (gé kāi, break apart). It is especially common in Shanghainese and other Wu dialects, where it conveys physical actions like splitting or holding.

Common words containing 搿 include: 搿开 (gé kāi) — break apart; 搿拢 (gé lǒng) — bring together; 搿手 (gé shǒu) — shake hands.