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調頭

简调头 · 繁調頭

Mandarin · pinyin diào tóu#

variant of 掉頭 diào tóu

Mandarin · pinyin diào tou#

tone (of voice)
tune

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Characters in this entry

調: Look up this written character
頭: tóu · head; top; chief, first; boss
调: diào · transfer, move, change; tune
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

4–2 · diao4 tou2

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Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

3character links1same-tone record1source reference

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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.

調頭 · find source passages ↗ · 调头 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 6 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

diu6 tau4

Cantonese word readings for 調頭. 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 · Etymology 1

(colloquial, derogatory) point of view; argument
tune; melody
(dialectal) manner of speaking

verb · Etymology 2

to make a U-turn; to turn about; to turn around (of cars, boats, etc.)
(dated, of a prostitute) to move to another brothel
argument

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

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