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蛇頭

简蛇头 · 繁蛇頭

Mandarin · pinyin shé tóu

head of a snake
human smuggler

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Characters in this entry

蛇: shé · snake
頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
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 · she2 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.

蛇頭 · find source passages ↗ · 蛇头 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

se4 tau4

Cantonese word readings for 蛇頭. 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

snakehead
(slang) ringleader of a gang that ferries people illegally across the border; ringleader of people smugglers

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

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