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來頭

简来头 · 繁來頭

Mandarin · pinyin lái tóu

cause
reason
interest
influence

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Characters in this entry

來: lái · come, coming; return, returning
頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
来: lái · come, coming; return, returning
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

2–2 · lai2 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.

來頭 · find source passages ↗ · 来头 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 6 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

loi4 tau4

Cantonese word readings for 來頭. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

noun

connections; backing
position; standing
reason; cause; motive
power; influence
interest; fun
benefit

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack