墙头 (qiáng tóu) — top of a wall or fence; low enclosing wall

Definition

墙头 is a compound noun with two meanings: the flat top of a wall/fence, and a short low wall built to enclose a yard. It's a concrete noun — not an abstract or figurative term.

noun
top of a wall or fencelow enclosing wall
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 墙头。
    Māo dūn zài qiáng tóu shàng shài tài yáng.
    The cat is squatting on top of the wall basking in the sun.
  • 墙头。
    Yuàn zi sì zhōu qì le yì quān ǎi qiáng tóu.
    A low enclosing wall was built around the courtyard.
  • 墙头。
    qiáng tóu Shàng zhǎng mǎn le qīng tái.
    The top of the wall is covered with moss.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

墙qiángwall
头tóutop

墙 names a wall, and 头 names its top or edge.

Characters in this word

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 牆; 墙 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
嗇嗇sèwheat in a granary
Sound part声符shēngfú
爿
爿pán牆qiáng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 牆, 爿 gives the sound and 嗇, showing wheat in a granary, gives the wall meaning. The simplified 墙 is a later short form.

Open 墙 →

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 →

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