低头

dī tóu

HSK 3.0 Level 5 Verb Uncommon

Definitions

1. to bow the head
2. to yield
3. to give in

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 抬头 tái tóu 抬头 tái tóu to raise one's head 抬头 means to raise the head, the opposite action of bowing the head.: to raise one's head

Related words

1 item

• 弯腰 wān yāo 弯腰 wān yāo to stoop Bowing the head often accompanies bending the body; 弯腰 means to bend at the waist.: to stoop

Synonyms

2 items

• 屈服 qū fú 屈服 qū fú to surrender Both mean to yield or give in, but 屈服 is stronger, implying submission under pressure.: to surrender
• 认输 rèn shū 认输 rèn shū to concede Both can mean to admit defeat, but 认输 is specifically to concede loss in a competition.: to concede

Usage notes

Common mistakes

低头 as 'to yield' is usually intransitive; don't use it with a direct object meaning 'to yield something.' Use 让出 or 放弃 for yielding an object.

Formality

In figurative 'give in' sense, 低头 is slightly informal compared to 屈服 or 妥协, suitable for daily conversation.

Example Sentences

1 shown

长时间 低头 看手机会损伤颈椎。

Looking down at your phone for long periods can damage the cervical vertebrae.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 低头

• 低头不见抬头见 低头不见抬头见 dī tóu bù jiàn tái tóu jiàn: see 抬頭不見低頭見|抬头不见低头见[tái tóu bù jiàn dī tóu jiàn]
• 低头族 低头族 dī tóu zú: smartphone addicts
• 低头认罪 低头认罪 dī tóu rèn zuì: to bow one's head in acknowledgment of guilt
• 抬头不见低头见 抬头不见低头见 tái tóu bù jiàn dī tóu jiàn: (idiom) (of people in a small town etc) to cross paths regularly

Child Words of 低头

• 低 低 dī: low
• 头 头 tóu: head