Meaning:

    “抓手” literally means “handle.” Often used by Chinese officials and in media reports, this term is metaphorically used to mean “tools,” “methods” or “means.” However, this new “official jargon” seldom appears in daily conversation.

    Example:

    A: 今天的会议你参加了吗？

    Jīntiān de huìyì nǐ cānjiā le ma?

    Did you attend today’s meeting?

    B: 我临时家里有事，没去。领导有什么重要指示？

    Wǒ línshí jiālǐ yǒushì, méi qù。Lǐngdǎo yǒu shénme zhòngyào zhǐshì?

    No. There was an emergency at the home front. What important instructions did the boss give?

    A: 领导说，要把村庄绿化作为生态文明建设的重要抓手。

    Lǐngdǎo shuō, yào bǎ cūnzhuāng lǜhuà zuòwéi shēngtài wénmíng jiànshè de zhòngyào zhuāshǒu。

    He said, “We should improve ecological building by means of greening the villages.”

    B: 就是鼓励村民多种树吧。

    Jìushì gǔlì cūnmín duō zhòngshù ba。

    That is, we should encourage villagers to plant more trees.