地头蛇 (dì tóu shé) — local bully or tyrant (who exploits or intimidates people in their own area)

Definition

A set phrase for a 'local bully' — someone who uses local power or connections to dominate their home turf, especially against outsiders.

noun
local bully or tyrant (who exploits or intimidates people in their own area)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 地头蛇，。
    Nà ge dì tóu shé zài cūn lǐ héng xíng bà dào, méi rén gǎn rě.
    That local bully runs wild in the village, and no one dares to provoke him.
  • ，地头蛇。
    Tā zhàng zhe zì jǐ yǒu bèi jǐng, chéng le zhè yí dài de dì tóu shé.
    Relying on his connections, he became the local bully of this area.
  • 地头蛇。
    Xīn lái de xiàn zhǎng jué xīn yào chú diào zhè ge dì tóu shé.
    The newly arrived county magistrate is determined to get rid of this local tyrant.

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.

地头local area
地dìlocal头tóuplace
偏正Modifier + head
蛇shésnake

地头 means the local area, and 蛇 is a snake, so the word pictures a snake of the locality, a local bully.

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 →

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
虫虫chóng
Sound part声符shēngfú
它
它tā蛇shé
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

蛇 combines 虫 with 它; 它 gives the sound and was also the original form of this character.

Open 蛇 →

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