大头
dà tóu
In Chinese, 'big head' is translated as 大头 (dà tóu).
It is used as a phrase to describe a person who is arrogant or thinks too highly of themselves.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective 大 (big) and the noun 头 (head).
How do you pronounce it?
dà tóu
Did you know?
- When used in the phrase 大头兵, the meaning changes entirely to refer to a low-ranking soldier or a common foot soldier.
- In financial contexts, 大头 refers to the largest portion of a sum of money or the primary expense in a budget.
- Calling someone 大头 can occasionally be an affectionate nickname for a child or a pet, completely reversing the meaning from 'arrogant' to 'cute'.
Examples in context
- 他的大头是他最引人注目的特征。His big head is his most noticeable feature.
- 你的大脑瓜里想什么呢？What's going on in your big head?
- 不要装大头鬼啦，你也不懂。Stop pretending to be a smarty-pants, you don't know either.
Example conversation
Two friends discussing a coworker's behavior.
- 佳怡 Jiayi俊杰最近是不是有点大头？Jùnjié zuìjìn shì bú shì yǒudiǎn dàtóu?Has Junjie become a bit arrogant lately?
- 俊杰 Junjie没错，他总觉得只有他是对的。Méicuò, tā zǒng juéde zhǐyǒu tā shì duì de.Exactly, he always thinks only he is right.
- 佳怡 Jiayi他这样很容易得罪同事。Tā zhèyàng hěn róngyì dézuì tóngshì.He will easily offend colleagues acting like that.
- 俊杰 Junjie希望他能早点意识到这一点。Xīwàng tā néng zǎodiǎn yìshí dào zhè yì diǎn.I hope he realizes this soon.
