TongTong
Sign in

掉头 (diào tóu) — to turn around (head, body, or vehicle); to make a U-turn

Definition

掉头 usually means a vehicle making a U-turn — turning around to face the opposite direction. Unlike 回头 (turn one's head / later) or 转身 (turn one's body), it refers to the vehicle itself reversing course.

verb
to turn around (head, body, or vehicle)to make a U-turn

Examples

  • 。
    Tā zài lù kǒu diào le gè tóu jiù kāi zǒu le.
    He made a U-turn at the intersection and drove away.
  • 掉头，。
    Qián miàn bù néng diào tóu, wǒ men dé rào lù.
    We can't turn around ahead; we have to take a detour.
  • 掉头，。
    Nǐ xiān bǎ chē diào tóu, wǒ men zài chū fā.
    Turn the car around first, then we'll set off.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

掉diàoturn/change direction
头tóuhead

“掉” indicates turning or changing direction, and “头” is the upper part of the body; together they mean turning the body or making a turn.

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
卓
卓zhuó掉diào
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

掉 is built from 扌 (a hand) and 卓, which gives the pronunciation.

Open 掉 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Roads & Traffic

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.