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块头 (kuài tóu) — (dialectal) size, stature, build

Definition

Informal, somewhat colloquial word for a person's physical build or size (e.g., 'a big guy'). Slightly more casual than 体格 or 身材, which sound neutral or formal.

noun
(dialectal) sizestaturebuild

Examples

  • 块头，。
    Tā kuài tóu hěn dà, yí kàn jiù zhī dào jīng cháng duàn liàn.
    He is big-built; you can tell from a glance that he exercises often.
  • 块头，。
    Suī rán kuài tóu bù xiǎo, dàn tā dòng zuò hěn líng huó.
    Although he is not small in build, his movements are very agile.
  • 块头。
    Nà ge kuài tóu xiǎo de nán hái pǎo dé zuì kuài.
    That small-built boy runs the fastest.

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.

块kuàiblock
头tóu

块 contributes the idea of bulk, and 头 completes the expression for size or build.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 塊; 块 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth; dust
Sound part声符shēngfú
鬼
鬼guǐ塊kuài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 塊 pairs 土 (earth; dust) with 鬼 as a sound part to show a clod of dirt. The simplified 块 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical pieces.

Open 块 →

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
Size & Dimension

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