杀头 (shā tóu) — to behead, to decapitate (as a form of execution)

Definition

A separable verb (离合词) meaning 'to behead' — typically a historical or literary form of execution. Often splits as 杀了…的头 or 把他杀了头.

verb
to beheadto decapitate (as a form of execution)

Examples

  • ，杀头。
    Zài gǔ dài, shā tóu shì yì zhǒng cháng jiàn de xíng fá.
    In ancient times, beheading was a common punishment.
  • 。
    Huáng dì xià lìng shā le tā de tóu.
    The emperor ordered his head cut off.
  • 杀头。
    Tā yīn wèi fàn le zhòng zuì bèi shā tóu le.
    He was beheaded because he committed a serious crime.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

杀shākill
头tóuhead

杀 conveys the act of ending life, and 头 names the severed top of the body, together giving the action of beheading.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 殺; 杀 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 殺 comes from an old drawing of a boar impaled in the head, with 人 and 又 added to show a person doing the killing; the simplified 杀 is a later abbreviation.

Open 杀 →

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 →

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