Definition
头脑 has two figurative senses: 'intelligence, mental capacity' and 'the mastermind/leader of a group'. Compared to 脑子 (brain/organ or intellect) and 脑袋 (colloquial head/brains), 头脑 is more abstract; as a leader, it emphasizes being the intellectual force, unlike 头 (plain leader/boss) or 老板 (proprietor/boss).
noun
brainsmindintelligenceleaderchiefthe brains (of an organization)
Examples
- 头脑。Zhège xiàngmù xūyào cōngmíng tóu nǎo de rén lái lǐngdǎo.This project needs someone with a smart mind to lead.
- 头脑，。Tā shì wǒmen tuánduì de tóu nǎo, suǒyǒu juédìng dōu tīng tā de.She is the brains of our team; all decisions listen to her.
- 头脑，。Wǒ wánquán mō bù zháo tóu nǎo, bù zhīdào tā zài shuō shénme.I can't make head or tail of it; I don't know what he's saying.
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