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魔头 (mó tóu) — tyrant; despot (a cruel and oppressive ruler or leader); fiend; devil (an extremely evil person, often a villain in fiction)

Definition

A 'fiend' or 'tyrant' — literally 'demon-head,' used for an extremely cruel villain in fiction or for a ruthless person in real life (e.g., a corrupt tycoon).

noun
tyrantdespot (a cruel and oppressive ruler or leader)fienddevil (an extremely evil person, often a villain in fiction)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 魔头，。
    Zhè ge mó tóu tǒng zhì le nà ge guó jiā shù shí nián, bǎi xìng kǔ bù kān yán.
    This tyrant ruled that country for decades, causing the people unbearable suffering.
  • ，魔头、。
    Zài xiǎo shuō lǐ, mó tóu zǒng shì wǔ gōng gāo qiáng, xīn hěn shǒu là.
    In novels, the fiend always has great martial arts skills and is ruthless.
  • 魔头，。
    Rén men bǎ tā chēng wéi jīn róng jiè de mó tóu, yīn wèi tā yòng fēi fǎ shǒu duàn zhuàn qǔ bào lì.
    People call him a devil in the financial world because he made huge profits through illegal means.

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.

魔módevil
头tóusuffix

“魔” gives the sense of a devil or evil force, and “头” makes it a word for such a being.

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
鬼鬼guǐdemon
Sound part声符shēngfú
麻
麻má魔mó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

魔 pairs 鬼, meaning demon, with 麻, which gives the sound.

Open 魔 →

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
Mythology & Folklore

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