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當頭

简当头 · 繁當頭

Mandarin · pinyin dāng tóu#

coming right into one's face
imminent
to put first

Mandarin · pinyin dàng tou#

(coll.) pledge; surety

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Characters in this entry

當: dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just
頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
当: dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just
头: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–2 · dang1 tou2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 4 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

adv · Etymology 1

right on someone's head; overhead; head on; in someone's face; directly

verb · Etymology 1

to befall; to happen; to be imminent; to be facing; to be confronting
to put first; to put as a priority; to consider important

noun · Etymology 2

pawn; something pawned; collateral; security; pledge

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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