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低头

dī tóu

to lower one's head

How common it is

低头 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.

Pronunciation focus

Say dī tóu slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.

Usage note

低头表示把头向下,也可表示认错或看下面。

dī tóu biǎo shì bǎ tóu xiàng xià, yě kě biǎo shì rèn cuò huò kàn xià miàn。

低头 means to lower the head, or to look down / admit fault.

Context note

低头常用于动作、情绪和姿态。

dī tóu cháng yòng yú dòng zuò 、 qíng xù hé zī tài。

It is often used with actions, emotions, and posture.

5 examples

他低头看书。
tā dī tóu kàn shū。
He lowered his head to read.
请低头。
qǐng dī tóu。
Please lower your head.
她低头走路。
tā dī tóu zǒu lù。
She walks with her head down.
他低头道歉。
tā dī tóu dào qiàn。
He lowered his head to apologize.
孩子低头想了想。
hái zi dī tóu xiǎng le xiǎng。
The child lowered his head and thought.

5 mini stories

上台前,他有点紧张,低头整理衣服。
shàng tái qián, tā yǒu diǎn jǐn zhāng, dī tóu zhěng lǐ yī fu。
Before going on stage, he was a little nervous and lowered his head to straighten his clothes.
她低头捡起了铅笔。
tā dī tóu jiǎn qǐ le qiān bǐ。
She lowered her head and picked up the pencil.
老师看见他低头不说话。
lǎo shī kàn jiàn tā dī tóu bù shuō huà。
The teacher saw him with his head down and not speaking.
下雨时,大家都低头快走。
xià yǔ shí, dà jiā dōu dī tóu kuài zǒu。
When it rains, everyone lowers their heads and walks quickly.
他低头认错,大家都原谅了他。
tā dī tóu rèn cuò, dà jiā dōu yuán liàng le tā。
He lowered his head and admitted his mistake, and everyone forgave him.

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