头 (tóu) — (noun) head; (noun) chief, leader, boss; (classifier) for livestock (cows, pigs, etc.)
Definition
头 as a noun means 'head' (body part) or 'chief/boss' (informal, like 领导). As a classifier, it counts livestock — a use 面 and 首 don't share.
noun
headchiefleaderboss
classifier
for livestock (cows, pigs, etc.)
Measure word · 个
Examples
- 头。Wǒ de tóu hěn téng.My head hurts.
- 头。Tā shì wǒ men de tóu.He is our boss.
- 头。Tā mǎi le sān tóu niú.He bought three cows.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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.
Appears in
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