彩头 (cǎi tóu) — lucky profit or prize (often from gambling, lottery, or competition); good omen of profit or victory

Definition

A '彩头' is a small lucky windfall or prize, or a sign of good luck — like 'a stroke of luck' or 'a good omen'. It implies something modest and incidental, not a guaranteed or main reward.

noun
lucky profit or prize (often from gambling, lottery, or competition)good omen of profit or victory

Examples

  • 彩头，。
    Mǎi cǎi piào jiù shì wèi le pèng gè cǎi tóu, bié zhǐ wàng kào tā fā cái.
    Buying lottery tickets is just to try your luck for a prize — don't expect to get rich from it.
  • ，彩头。
    Zhè cì bǐ sài de tóu jiǎng shì shí wàn kuài, dà jiā dōu xiǎng zhēng zhè ge cǎi tóu.
    The first prize in this competition is 100,000 yuan, and everyone wants to compete for this prize.
  • ，彩头。
    Kāi gōng dì yī tiān jiù jiē le bǐ dà dān, zhēn shì gè hǎo cǎi tóu.
    Securing a big order on the first day of work — that's a really good omen.

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.

彩cǎiluck
头tóu

彩 points to luck or prize, and 头 simply finishes the expression.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
采
采cǎi彩cǎi
Same sound today

彩 puts 采, which gives the sound, next to 彡, the three-stroke mark that carries the meaning.

Open 彩 →

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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