1.
bare-handed; empty-handed; without tools or weapons
Using only one's hands without any implements, weapons, or equipment. Frequently used in martial arts and physical training contexts, as well as figuratively to describe undertaking something without resources.
Composed of 徒 (on foot, bare, empty) and 手 (hand). Often used as a modifier with の or in compound words. The character 徒 carries a sense of being unequipped or unaccompanied, as in 徒歩 (on foot).
Common collocations
- 徒手空拳: bare-handed and without weapons (four-character compound)
- 徒手体操: calisthenics, free exercises
- 徒手で戦う: to fight bare-handed
- 徒手格闘: unarmed combat