Chinese word

回首

Pronunciation

Pinyinhuí shǒu

Meaning

  • verblook back

Example

我突然回首，发现他已经不在了。wǒ tū rán huí shǒu fā xiàn tā yǐ jīng bú zài le

I suddenly looked back and discovered that he was already gone.

Illustration for 回首 (look back)

More examples

站在毕业礼堂上，她不禁回首过去，泪光闪动。zhàn zài bì yè lǐ táng shàng tā bù jīn huí shǒu guò qù lèi guāng shǎn dòng

Standing in the graduation hall, she could not help looking back on the past, tears glistening in her eyes.

Core concept

Looking behind oneself becomes a calm, often wistful view of what has already happened.

Common phrases

  • 回首过去huí shǒu guò qù

    look back on the past

  • 回首往昔huí shǒu wǎng xī

    look back on former days

Similar words

想起xiáng qǐ: Have a past event or memory suddenly come to mind.
回忆huí yì: Deliberately recall and reflect on things that happened in the past.
回顾huí gù: Look back over past events to understand their sequence and development.
回头huí tóu: Turn around to look behind oneself.

Definition in Chinese

多指对过去的回顾或怀念，原义为转动头部向后看，语域偏书面与文学表达。duō zhǐ duì guò qù de huí gù huò huái niàn yuán yì wèi zhuǎn dòng tóu bù xiàng hòu kàn yǔ yù piān shū miàn yǔ wén xué biǎo dá

Word origin

回 (huí, "turn back") + 首 (shǒu, "head") describe turning the head to look behind, a physical image that extends to reflecting on the past.

Usage tips

  • The word often marks a change in register rather than a change in meaning, making an ordinary idea sound more literary and reflective in Chinese.

Other meanings

  • think back onverb

Opposites

  • 展望未来zhǎn wàng wèi láilook ahead to the futureverb

Word lists with this word