翘首 (qiáo shǒu) — to raise one's head (to look); (figurative) to eagerly look forward to, to long for

Definition

Literary verb meaning 'to look up / crane one's neck, eagerly waiting.' Stronger and more written than 期待 (look forward to), emphasizing eager waiting rather than mental anticipation.

verb
to raise one's head (to look)(figurative) to eagerly look forward toto long for

Examples

  • ，，。
    Tā zhàn zài shān dǐng, qiào zhe shǒu, děng dài rì chū.
    He stood on the mountaintop, raising his head, waiting for the sunrise.
  • 翘首。
    Chéng qiān shàng wàn de qiú mí zhèng qiáo shǒu yǐ pàn tā men de qiú duì duó guàn.
    Tens of thousands of fans are eagerly looking forward to their team winning the championship.
  • 翘首。
    Tā qiáo shǒu qī dài zhe yǔ qīn rén chóng féng.
    She eagerly anticipated reuniting with her family.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

翘qiàoraise
首shǒuhead

翘 means to raise, and 首 is the head, so 翘首 is raising the head to look eagerly.

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 翹; 翘 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
羽羽yǔfeather
Sound part声符shēngfú
堯
堯yáo翹qiáo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 翹 pairs 羽 (feather) with 堯, which gives the sound; this note is about 翹, not the simplified 翘.

Open 翘 →

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

The shape comes from an old drawing of an animal's head, showing a long mouth and horns; the version with hair became 首.

Open 首 →

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