DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
頭腦
简 头脑 · 繁 頭腦Mandarin · pinyin tóu nǎo
Meanings
- brains
- mind
- skull
- (fig.) gist (of a matter)
- leader
- boss
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Mandarin tones
2–3 · tou2 nao3
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
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Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.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.
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 6 senses · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
tau4 nou5
Cantonese word readings for 頭腦. 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
- (literary) head
- mind; brains; head
- intellect; intelligence; smarts
- leader; boss; head
- (obsolete) inside information
- (obsolete) reason; cause; motive; grounds
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack