Chinese word

苗头

Pronunciation

Pinyinmiáo tou

Meaning

  • nounsign

Example

经济出现了苗头，开始回升。jīng jì chū xiàn le miáo tou kāi shǐ huí shēng

The economy showed signs of recovery and began to rebound.

Illustration for 苗头 (sign)

More examples

目前还看不到复苏的苗头。mù qián hái kàn bú dào fù sū de miáo tou

There are still no signs of recovery.

Core concept

A small early signal that a new direction is beginning to take shape.

Common phrases

  • 显露苗头xiǎn lù miáo tou

    show signs

  • 苗头初显miáo tou chū xiǎn

    signs begin to emerge

Similar words

迹象jì xiàng: An outward sign that a condition or fact is true or present.
征兆zhēng zhào: A sign that points ahead to something that is going to happen.
动向dòng xiàng: The direction or tendency in which an event or issue is developing.

Definition in Chinese

表示某一趋势或变化在早期阶段露出的征兆，不强调好坏，侧重于作为发展开端的迹象。biǎo shì mǒu yì qū shì huò biàn huà zài zǎo qī jiē duàn lù chū de zhēng zhào bù qiáng diào hǎo huài cè zhòng yú zuò wéi fā zhǎn kāi duān de jì xiàng

Word origin

苗 (miáo, "seedling") + 头 (tou, "head") refers literally to the tip of a young plant and figuratively to the first outward sign of something developing.

Usage tips

  • The surrounding context determines whether the developing change is welcome or harmful, so English learners should not automatically give the word a positive tone.

Other meanings

  • tendencynoun

Word lists with this word