one's specialty; forte; masterpiece
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 5 examplesnoun
an actor's specialty play; a play one excels in
Originally refers to theatrical performances.
Jīng京
jù剧
《
Bà霸
Wáng王
Bié别
Jī姬
》
shì是
tā他
de的
ná拿
shǒu手
hǎo好
xì戏
。
The Peking opera 'Farewell My Concubine' is his masterpiece.
Zhè这
tái台
xì戏
shì是
tā她
de的
ná拿
shǒu手
hǎo好
xì戏
，
tā她
yǐ已
jīng经
yǎn演
guò过
jǐ几
bǎi百
chǎng场
le了
。
This play is her specialty; she has performed it hundreds of times.
noun
one's forte; specialty; strong suit
Metaphorical extension from theatrical usage to general skills and abilities. Also written as 拿手戏.
Pēng烹
rèn饪
shì是
tā他
de的
ná拿
shǒu手
hǎo好
xì戏
。
Cooking is his forte.
Tán谈
pàn判
kě可
shì是
tā他
de的
ná拿
shǒu手
hǎo好
xì戏
，
nǐ你
fàng放
xīn心
ràng让
tā他
qù去
。
Negotiation is his strong suit, so rest assured and let him handle it.
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Bié别
kàn看
tā他
píng平
shí时
bù不
shuō说
huà话
，
yí一
dào到
guān关
jiàn键
shí时
kè刻
，
jiě解
jué决
wèn问
tí题
shì是
tā他
de的
ná拿
shǒu手
hǎo好
xì戏
。
Don't be fooled by his usual silence; when critical moments arrive, solving problems is his specialty.