回头客 (huí tóu kè) — repeat customer

Definition

noun
repeat customer
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 回头客，。
    Zhè jiā cān tīng de huí tóu kè hěn duō, shuō míng wèi dào bú cuò.
    This restaurant has many repeat customers, which shows the food is good.
  • 回头客。
    Lǎo bǎn shuō zuò huí tóu kè de shēng yì bǐ zuò xīn kè gèng qīng sōng.
    The boss says doing business with repeat customers is easier than with new ones.
  • 回头客。
    Wǒ men tuī chū huì yuán kǎ shì wèi le xī yǐn gèng duō huí tóu kè.
    We introduced a membership card to attract more repeat customers.

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.

回头turn back
回huíturn头tóuhead
动宾Verb + object
客kècustomer

回头 means turning back or returning, and 客 means customer; together they picture a customer who turns back to buy again.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

回 comes from a drawing of a spiral, showing something turning around.

Open 回 →

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 →

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
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
各
各gè客kè
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 客, 宀 is a roof and 各 gives the sound; the character meant a guest.

Open 客 →

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