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点头 (diǎn tóu) — to nod (one's head in agreement or greeting)

Definition

点头 (diǎntóu) means to nod your head — usually to agree, say hello, or give approval. It's a separable verb: in the perfective or with 一下, split it as 点了一下头 or 点了个头.

verb
to nod (one's head in agreement or greeting)

Examples

  • 。
    Tā xiàng wǒ diǎn le yí xià tóu.
    He nodded to me once.
  • 点头。
    Lǎo shī diǎn tóu biǎo shì tóng yì.
    The teacher nodded in agreement.
  • 点头。
    Lǎo bǎn yǐ jīng diǎn tóu le.
    The boss has already given the go-ahead.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

点diǎnnod/move
头tóuhead

点 is a slight movement, and 头 is the head; moving the head in this way means to nod.

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 點; 点 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
黑黑hēiblack
Sound part声符shēngfú
占
占zhàn點diǎn(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 點 pairs 黑 (black) with 占 for its sound; the simplified 点 is a later abbreviation.

Open 点 →

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 4HSK 2.0 Level 5Body PartsCommunication & Speech

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