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把头 (bǎ tóu) — labor contractor, gang boss (in manual labor or construction)

Definition

把头 is a foreman who recruits and supervises manual laborers, especially in construction — the person who manages a crew rather than does the physical work. Less formal than 工地负责人.

noun
labor contractorgang boss (in manual labor or construction)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 把头，。
    Tā dāng le shí nián de bǎ tóu, jīng yàn hěn fēng fù.
    He has been a labor contractor for ten years and has a lot of experience.
  • 把头。
    Zhè ge bǎ tóu guǎn zhe èr shí duō gè gōng rén.
    This labor contractor manages over twenty workers.
  • 把头。
    bǎ tóu Měi tiān dōu yào ān pái dì èr tiān de rèn wu.
    The labor contractor has to arrange the next day's tasks every day.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

把bǎhold
头tóuhead

把 conveys holding, while 头 conveys the head, together naming the person at the top of a labor gang.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
巴
巴bā把bǎ
Same sound today

把 combines 扌, a hand, with 巴 for its sound.

Open 把 →

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
Professions & JobsSocial Roles & Status

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