了如指掌
liǎo rú zhǐ zhǎng
to know like the back of your hand
Character by character
了liǎo
clear
clear
如rú
like
like
指zhǐ
point
point
掌zhǎng
palm
palm
Example
他对北京的胡同了如指掌。
He knows Beijing's hutongs like the back of his hand.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
了 is liǎo (understand): as clear as pointing at your own palm.
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