Chinese word

摇头

Pronunciation

Pinyinyáo tóu

Meaning

  • verbshake one's head

Example

我问她喜不喜欢，她摇头说不喜欢。wǒ wèn tā xǐ bù xǐ huān tā yáo tóu shuō bù xǐ huān

When I asked her if she liked it, she shook her head and said she didn't.

Illustration for 摇头 (shake one's head)

More examples

记者质问时，官员当场摇头，否认这些指控。jì zhě zhì wèn shí guān yuán dāng chǎng yáo tóu fǒu rèn zhè xiē zhǐ kòng

When a reporter questioned him, the official shook his head on the spot and denied these accusations.

Core concept

A side-to-side movement of the head that signals a negative response.

Common phrases

  • 当场摇头dāng chǎng yáo tóu

    shake one's head on the spot

  • 连声摇头lián shēng yáo tóu

    repeatedly shake one's head

Similar words

点头diǎn tóu: Moving the head up and down signals yes or agreement without words.
否认fǒu rèn: Saying that a fact is untrue or that someone is not responsible for something.

Definition in Chinese

用头左右摆动表示否定、不同意或不喜欢的动作。yòng tóu zuǒ yòu bǎi dòng biǎo shì fǒu dìng bù tóng yì huò bù xǐ huān de dòng zuò

Word origin

摇 (yáo, "to sway") + 头 (tóu, "head") literally describes moving the head from side to side, which gives the verb its meaning.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the gesture can serve as the whole answer to a yes-or-no question, so the spoken reply may be shorter than an English learner expects.

Opposites

Related words

  • 摇头摆手yáo tóu bái shǒushake one's head and wave one's handverb

Word lists with this word