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重头 (zhòng tóu) — of vital importance, of great value (attributive adjective)

Definition

Functions only as an attributive adjective meaning 'of vital importance', usually modifying tasks, projects, or roles — it never stands alone as a predicate or takes 很/非常.

adjective
of vital importanceof great value (attributive adjective)

Examples

  • 重头。
    Zhè shì gōng sī jīn nián de zhòng tóu xiàng mù.
    This is the company's most important project this year.
  • 重头。
    Zhè bù xì de zhòng tóu jué sè shì nǚ zhǔ jué.
    The key role in this play is the female lead.
  • 重头。
    Tā men wán chéng le liǎng gè zhòng tóu rèn wu.
    They completed two vital tasks.

Origin

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.

重zhòngimportant
头tóumain part

重 meaning important points to the main part 头, so 重头 describes something central and valuable.

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
人人rénman
Sound part声符shēngfú
東
東dōng重zhòng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

重 developed from a picture of a man carrying a bag, with 人 for the man and 東 for the bag; a later ground element was folded into the form.

Open 重 →

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
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