DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

牽頭

简牵头 · 繁牽頭

Mandarin · pinyin qiān tóu

to lead (an animal by the head)
to take the lead
to coordinate (a combined operation)
to mediate
a go-between (e.g. marriage broker)

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Characters in this entry

牽: Look up this written character
頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
牵: qiān · drag, pull, lead by hand
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 · qian1 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.

牽頭 · find source passages ↗ · 牵头 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

verb

to take the lead; to show initiative; to be the first; to set an example
to act as go-between; to act as the middleman; to play matchmaker

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

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