头马 (tóu mǎ) — lead horse (literal); (figurative) top performe…

Definition

Originally the lead horse in a team, now used figuratively for the top performer who sets the pace for the rest of the group.

noun

lead horse (literal)(figurative) top performerteam leaderpacesetter

Measure word · 匹

头马。
Zhè pǐ tóu mǎ zài qián sān gōng lǐ yì zhí lǐng xiān.
This lead horse stayed ahead for the first three kilometers.
，头马。
Tā jīn nián yè jì zuì hǎo, shì wǒ men xiāo shòu tuán duì de tóu mǎ.
He has the best performance this year and is the pacesetter of our sales team.
头马。
Tuán duì xū yào yí wèi tóu mǎ lái dài dòng dà jiā.
The team needs a leader to drive everyone forward.

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.

'头' as first and '马' as horse combine to mean the leading horse.

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 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

豆頁頭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yèhead

Sound part声符shēngfú

豆

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.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 馬; 马 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 馬 shows a horse with its head facing left, a flowing mane, and two legs standing vertically.