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小鬼头 (xiǎo guǐ tóu) — (colloquial) little devil, imp (affectionate term for a mischievous child)

Definition

An affectionate, teasing term for a mischievous child (like 'little rascal' or 'little imp'). It is fond rather than insulting — used by adults to kids they like.

noun
(colloquial) little devilimp (affectionate term for a mischievous child)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • ！
    Zhè ge xiǎo xiǎo guǐ tóu zhēn tiáo pí!
    This little imp is really naughty!
  • 小鬼头，？
    xiǎo guǐ tóu, Nǐ yòu zuò le shén me hǎo shì?
    Little rascal, what have you done now?
  • ，小鬼头。
    Bié nào le, xiǎo guǐ tóu.
    Stop messing around, little devil.

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.

小鬼little devil
小xiǎolittle鬼guǐghost
偏正Modifier + head
头tóufamiliar ending

小鬼 gives the mischievous ghost image, and 头 turns it into a familiar nickname.

Characters in this word

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

  • 八八bāto divide; to separate
  • 丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Open 小 →

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

鬼 originally drew a kneeling figure with an ugly face, perhaps a mask; the small lower right dot is a later added tail.

Open 鬼 →

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
Life Stages & Age

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