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头目 (tóu mù) — chief, leader; ringleader (of a criminal group)

Definition

noun
chiefleaderringleader (of a criminal group)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 头目。
    Zhè ge zǔ zhī de tóu mù zhèng zài cè huà xià yí cì xíng dòng.
    The chief of this organization is planning the next operation.
  • 头目。
    Jǐng fāng zhuā huò le fàn dú jí tuán de tóu mù.
    The police captured the ringleader of the drug trafficking group.
  • 头目，。
    Tā zuò wéi gōng sī tóu mù zhī yī, guǎn lǐ zhe shàng bǎi míng yuán gōng.
    As one of the company's chiefs, she manages over a hundred employees.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

头tóuhead
目mùeye

头 and 目, like head and eye, stand for the leading person.

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 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 →

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

目 began as a drawing of a human eye, turned sideways.

Open 目 →
Appears in
Crime & PoliceSocial Roles & Status

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