分头 (fēn tóu) — separately, each in a different direction (of multiple people doing something independently)

Definition

分头 (fēntóu) means 'separately, each going a different way' — multiple people divide up and act on their own, then often combine results. Only used for a group doing different parts of a shared task, not for splitting things up.

adverb
separatelyeach in a different direction (of multiple people doing something independently)

Examples

  • 分头，。
    Dà jiā fēn tóu xíng dòng, xiào lǜ gèng gāo.
    Everyone acts separately, making it more efficient.
  • 分头。
    Wǒ men fēn tóu qù diào chá zhè jiàn shì.
    We'll go investigate this matter separately.
  • 分头，。
    Tā men fēn tóu zhǔn bèi, zuì hòu huì zǒng jié guǒ.
    They prepare separately and then combine the results.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

分fēndivide
头tóuend or direction

分, divide, and 头, an end or direction, suggest separate ways, hence separately.

Characters in this word

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

分 pairs 八 (to separate) with 刀 (knife), showing something cut apart with a knife.

Open 分 →

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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