HSK Level 5

抬头

tái tóu

look up; gain ground; raise one’s head

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Example Sentences

我抬头看了看天花板。

wǒ tái tóu kàn le kàn tiān huá bǎn.

I looked up at the ceiling.

他抬头看见了一只鸟。

tā tái tóu kàn jiàn le yī zhī niǎo.

He looked up and saw a bird.

我们抬头仰望星空。

wǒ men tái tóu yǎng wàng xīng kōng.

We looked up at the starry sky.

Synonyms

Antonyms

低头 (dī tóu)

lower one's head

垂头 (chuí tóu)

hang one's head

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 抬头 (táitóu) is composed of two characters: 抬 (tái) and 头 (tóu). The character 抬 means "to lift" or "to raise," while the character 头 means "head." Together, these two characters form the word 抬头, which literally means "to raise one's head." This word can be used in a variety of contexts, but it is most commonly used to mean "to look up" or "to pay attention." For example, you might say 抬头看天 (táitóu kàn tiān) to mean "look up at the sky" or 抬头听讲 (táitóu tīng jiǎng) to mean "pay attention to the lecture." The word 抬头 can also be used in a more figurative sense to mean "to be proud" or "to be confident." For example, you might say 抬头挺胸 (táitóu tǐng xiōng) to mean "to be proud and confident."