Chinese word

一头

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī tóu

Meaning

  • measure wordhead

Example

一头猪已经长大了。yì tóu zhū yǐ jīng zhǎng dà le

A pig has already grown up.

Illustration for 一头 (head)

More examples

草原的远处有一头狮子在休息。cǎo yuán de yuǎn chù yǒu yì tóu shī zi zài xiū xī

Far away on the grassland, a lion is resting.

Core concept

A single large animal viewed as one counted body, especially a farm animal.

Common phrases

  • 一头牛yì tóu niú

    one cow

  • 一头狮子yì tóu shī zi

    one lion

  • 一头驴yì tóu lǘ

    one donkey

Similar words

头tóu: Counts large livestock as individual animals before the animal noun.
只zhǐ: Counts a small animal or a single object before the noun.
匹pǐ: Counts horses, sheep, and similar animals as individuals before the animal noun.

Definition in Chinese

用于计量大型牲畜或体型较大的动物的量词，通常放在数词与名词之间，表示一个个体。yòng yú jì liàng dà xíng shēng chù huò tǐ xíng jiào dà de dòng wù de liàng cí tōng cháng fàng zài shù cí yǔ míng cí zhī jiān biǎo shì yí gè gè tǐ

Word origin

头 (tóu, "head") became a measure word through the practice of counting large livestock by their heads.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may expect a noun after a number, but Chinese places 一头 (yītóu, "one head") before a large animal noun, especially in everyday talk about livestock.

Related words

  • 一头雾水yì tóu wù shuǐbe utterly confusedidiom

Word lists with this word