潮头 (cháo tóu) — the crest of a tidal wave; the forefront, the leading edge (of a trend or movement)

Definition

Literal: the crest of a tidal wave. Figuratively, the leading edge or forefront of a trend or movement — someone or something standing at 潮头 is leading the charge, not just following.

noun
the crest of a tidal wavethe forefrontthe leading edge (of a trend or movement)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 潮头，。
    Zhǐ yǒu zhuā zhù shí dài de cháo tóu, cái néng shí xiàn chuàng xīn.
    Only by seizing the forefront of the times can innovation be achieved.
  • ，潮头。
    Gǎi gé dà cháo zhōng, zhè ge qǐ yè shǐ zhōng zhàn zài cháo tóu.
    Amidst the great wave of reform, this enterprise has always stood at the forefront.
  • ，潮头。
    Cháo shuǐ yǒng lái, cháo tóu gāo dá shù mǐ.
    As the tide surged in, the crest of the wave reached several meters high.

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.

潮cháotide
头tóutop

“潮” is tide or wave, and “头” is its top or front, so the word denotes the crest of a tide.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
朝
朝cháo潮cháo
Same sound today

潮 has 氵, the water form 水, on the left to show a water connection, with 朝 on the right giving the sound.

Open 潮 →

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 →

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