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回首 (huí shǒu) — (formal) to turn one's head (literal); (figurative) to look back on; to recall (past events)

Definition

回首 (huí shǒu) is a formal/literary verb meaning 'to look back on' past events — more written than 回忆, and unlike 回头 or 扭头, it is almost never used for physically turning the head.

verb
(formal) to turn one's head (literal)(figurative) to look back onto recall (past events)

Examples

  • ，回首，。
    Tā tīng dào yǒu rén jiào tā, huí shǒu yí kàn, yuán lái shì lǎo péng you.
    He heard someone call him, turned around and looked, and it turned out to be an old friend.
  • 回首，。
    Měi dāng tā huí shǒu wǎng shì, xīn zhōng zǒng shì gǎn kǎi wàn qiān.
    Whenever he looks back on the past, his heart is filled with emotions.
  • ，回首。
    Suī rán yuǎn lí jiā xiāng, tā shí cháng huí shǒu guò qù de měi hǎo shí guāng.
    Although far from home, he often recalls the good old days.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

回huíturn
首shǒuhead

回 means turn and 首 means head, literally turning the head, hence looking back or recalling.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

回 comes from a drawing of a spiral, showing something turning around.

Open 回 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape comes from an old drawing of an animal's head, showing a long mouth and horns; the version with hair became 首.

Open 首 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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