Chinese word

低头

Pronunciation

Pinyindī tóu

Meaning

  • verblook down

Example

她听到批评就低头不说话。tā tīng dào pī píng jiù dī tóu bù shuō huà

When she hears criticism, she looks down and says nothing.

Illustration for 低头 (look down)

More examples

在争论中，他不肯低头。zài zhēng lùn zhōng tā bù kěn dī tóu

In the argument, he refuses to give in.

Core concept

A lowered head turns the eyes and stance away from the other person, linking downward posture with sadness, acceptance, or surrender.

Common phrases

  • 低头认错dī tóu rèn cuò

    bow one's head and admit one's mistake

  • 低头认输dī tóu rèn shū

    bow one's head and admit defeat

  • 低头接受批评dī tóu jiē shòu pī píng

    look down and accept criticism

Similar words

屈服qū fú: Give up one's own view or demand after pressure from another person.
认输rèn shū: Admit defeat and accept losing in a contest or dispute.
垂头丧气chuí tóu sàng qì: Become downcast and lose one's energy after a setback.
退让tuì ràng: Step back from one's position or claim in order to yield to another person.

Definition in Chinese

将头朝下移动，既可指短暂地垂下头，也可指在冲突中表示让步或哀伤的情绪表达。jiāng tóu cháo xià yí dòng jì kě zhǐ duǎn zàn dì chuí xià tou yě kě zhǐ zài chōng tū zhōng biǎo shì ràng bù huò āi shāng de qíng xù biǎo dá

Word origin

The compound joins 低 (dī, "low") and 头 (tóu, "head"), so its physical image provides a clear path to the word's use for yielding in a tense situation.

Usage tips

  • English may use different verbs for the posture and the social response, while Chinese keeps them under one common word, so the surrounding situation carries more of the meaning.

Other meanings

  • bow one's headverb
  • give inverb
  • hang one's headverb

Opposites

  • 抬头tái tóuraise one's headverb
  • 昂首áng shǒuhold one's head highverb

Related words

  • 低头族dī tóu zúpeople who look down at their phonesnoun
  • 低头哈腰dī tóu hā yāobow and scrapeidiom

Word lists with this word