扎头发
zhā tóufa
To tie hair back in Chinese is 扎头发 (zhā tóufa).
The phrase describes the action of fastening long hair away from the face using a hair tie or clip. If you want to describe the specific action of tying hair back casually, you can say 随意地把头发往后绑 (suí yì de bǎ tóu fà wǎng hòu bǎng).
What does it mean word for word?
The verb 扎 (zhā) literally means to tie, to fasten or to bind. The noun 头发 (tóufa) is composed of 头 (tóu), meaning head and 发 (fà), meaning hair.
Which one should you use?
You can use 扎马尾 (zhā mǎ wěi) when you specifically mean to tie the hair into a ponytail.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the directional complement 起 (qǐ) after the verb results in 扎起头发 (zhā qǐ tóufa), which emphasizes the action of tying the hair up (away from the neck/face). Additionally, the verb 系 (jì) can also be used to mean 'to tie' or 'to fasten', though 扎 (zhā) is more common for hair specifically.
How do you pronounce it?
zhā tóufa
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the verb 扎 (zhā) is used not just for hair, but also for more forceful actions like 'to stab' or 'to puncture'.
- In traditional Chinese culture, the act of tying hair was historically a marker of adulthood and social status, particularly for men during the transition to adulthood.
- The character 发 for hair is a homophone for the word meaning 'to develop' or 'to get rich' 发财, making hair-related puns common in celebratory contexts.
Examples in context
- 我可以用橡皮筋扎头发吗？Wǒ kěyǐ yòng xiàngpíjīn zhā tóufa ma?Can I use a hair tie to tie my hair back?
Example conversation
Zihan is preparing to exercise in the living room.
- 梓涵 Zihan我要先扎头发，然后开始运动。Wǒ yào xiān zhā tóufa, ránhòu kāishǐ yùndòng.I need to tie my hair back first, then start exercising.
- 浩然 Haoran你的发圈在哪里？Nǐ de fàquān zài nǎlǐ?Where is your hair tie?
- 梓涵 Zihan我找不到，你能帮我找找吗？Wǒ zhǎo bù dào, nǐ néng bāng wǒ zhǎozhao ma?I can't find it, can you help me look for it?
- 浩然 Haoran在这里，快扎头发吧。Zài zhèlǐ, kuài zhā tóufa ba.Here it is, go ahead and tie your hair back.
