empty hand
Gripping only air
Empty hand refers to a hand holding nothing, often emphasizing vulnerability or lack of weapons: He approached with empty hands to show peaceful intent.
The phrase appears in martial arts contexts, where "empty hand" techniques use no weapons—karate literally means "empty hand" in Japanese.
Figuratively, to come away empty-handed is to gain nothing from an effort.
- bareLacking any covering
- open palmHand held flat, exposed
- fistTightly closed hand
- bare knucklesHands without boxing gloves
- palmHand's flat interior
karate · kung fu · martial · unarmed · grip · grasp · open · fingers · reach · gesture · defenseless · vulnerable · self defense · martial arts · strike · punch · block · dojo
- kung fukung fu, wushu, Shaolin, Shaolin Temple, tai chi
- Southeast Asian Martial ArtsMuay Thai, silat, Thai boxing
- Eskrimastick fighting, double stick, rattan, sticks, espada
physical contents
empty handfull hand
Maximum capacity held
handful · fistful · clenched fist · cupped hand · closed hand
empty, hand, emptied, empties, emptying, emptiness, hands, handed, handing