Definition
埋头 is a separable verb (离合词) meaning 'to bury oneself in' something — usually work, study, or a task — to the point of ignoring everything else. The literal image is 'burying one's head' in the activity. You can split it with 着 (埋着头) or 下 (埋下头) to indicate the posture, but the most common pattern is 埋头 + verb (埋头工作, 埋头苦读). The object of focus is introduced with 于 in formal writing (埋头于研究), though this is less common in speech.
v.o.
to bury oneself in (work/study)to be engrossed in
Examples
- 埋头，。Tā zhěngtiān mái tóu gōngzuò, lián fàn dōu wàng le chī.He buries himself in work all day and even forgets to eat.
- ，。Tā mái zhe tóu kàn shū, méi zhùyì dào wǒ jìnlái le.She was buried in her book, head down, and didn't notice I came in.
- ，埋头。Wèile kǎoshì, tā mái tóu kǔdú le sān gè yuè.He buried himself in hard study for three months to prepare for the exam.
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