What is the difference between 片方の手 and 片手?


In my understanding, both 片方の手 and 片手 mean "one hand". What is the difference
and how to use them correctly?




Here are the first 10 hits for 片方の手 in BCCWJ Corpus:

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/s1OO0.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/s1OO0.png)

As you can see, and as goldhick "answered" as a comment, 片方の手 tends to be used
when it is contrasted with the other hand. (ie, "One hand ～, the other hand
～")

片手 is simpler; "one hand", "one-handed", etc. When you say 片手で運転する, what the
other hand is doing is not important.

Another example: 岩を片手で持ち上げた simply means someone lifted a rock with one hand.
岩を片方の手で持ち上げた is almost the same, but it may sound like he was doing something
else with his remaining hand.




片方の手 would refer to one hand (physically speaking)

片手（で）is used in the sense of doing something with one hand (one wouldn't say
片方の手で自転車乗りました (I rode my bicycle with one hand))

