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地头 (dì tóu) — edge of a field; (colloquial) destination, the place; (printing) lower margin of a page

Definition

地 (dì) here reads as a noun meaning 'edge of a field' or, in modern colloquial use, 'the place / destination'. The third sense, 'lower margin of a page', is a printing term and rarely needed.

noun
edge of a field(colloquial) destinationthe place(printing) lower margin of a page

Examples

  • 地头。
    Nóng mín zài dì tóu shàng zhǒng le hěn duō shū cài.
    The farmer planted many vegetables at the edge of the field.
  • 地头，。
    Wǒ men zhōng yú dào le dì tóu, kě yǐ xiū xi le.
    We finally arrived at the place, we can rest.
  • 地头。
    Zhè běn shū de dì tóu liú dé tài zhǎi le.
    The lower margin of this book is left too narrow.

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.

地dìfield
头tóuend

地 (field) and 头 (end) combine to mean the end or edge of a field.

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
也
也yě地dì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

地 is built from 土 (earth) and 也, which gives its sound.

Open 地 →

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
Agriculture & Farming

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