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念头 (niàn tou) — thought, idea, intention

Definition

念头 (niàntou) is a fleeting, personal thought or idea, often a sudden whim — lighter and more everyday than 思想 (a system of thought/ideology). Use 意图 or 意向 for a deliberate plan or intent.

noun
thoughtideaintention
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 念头。
    Tā zuì jìn yǒu yí gè qí guài de niàn tou.
    He recently had a strange thought.
  • 念头。
    Zhè ge niàn tou zài wǒ xīn lǐ hěn jiǔ le.
    This idea has been in my heart for a long time.
  • 念头。
    Wǒ cóng lái méi yǒu guò zhè yàng de niàn tou.
    I have never had such an idea.

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.

念niànthink/idea
头tóusuffix

The sense of 念 as thinking is packaged as a mental thing by 头.

Characters in this word

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

念 combines 今, an upside-down mouth, with 心, the heart, to listen to one's heart.

Open 念 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Thinking & Cognition

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.