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后头 (hòu tou) — (noun) the back; rear side; (noun) a later time; the future

Definition

后头 (hòutou) is the colloquial, spoken counterpart of 后面 — it means both the spatial 'back / behind' and the temporal 'later / in the future' in everyday talk. 后面 is more neutral and works in writing; 后头 sounds casual and is mainly used in speech.

noun
the backrear sidea later timethe future

Examples

  • 后头。
    Fáng zi hòu tou yǒu gè xiǎo huā yuán.
    There is a small garden behind the house.
  • ，后头。
    Nǐ xiān zǒu, hòu tou de shì wǒ lái chǔ lǐ.
    You go ahead; I'll handle the matters later.
  • ，。
    Qǐng wǎng hòu tou zuò, qián miàn yǐ jīng mǎn le.
    Please move to the back; the front is already full.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

后hòuback
头tóusuffix

后 gives the sense of back, and 头 completes the place word for behind.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →
Appears in
DirectionsTime (Abstract)

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