苗头 (miáo tou): first signs; development (of a situation)

Meaning & Stroke Order

HSK 7noun

Word info

Pinyin
Meaning: first signs; development (of a situation)
Characters: 2
Part of speech: noun
HSK level: HSK 7

Full definitions

first signs
development (of a situation)

Chinese explanation

指事情刚出现时显露的迹象或趋势，通常用来表示某种变化或情况刚开始有一点表现。多用于描述还不明显但可能继续发展的现象，常和“有”“没有”“看出”等词搭配。例如，他看出事情有点不对的苗头，就提前离开了。

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Character breakdown

HSK 7

Miao ethnic group

HSK 5

head

Example sentences

Recently, Xiaoming has been making all kinds of excuses not to do his homework. The teacher felt this was a sign of him starting to dislike school, so she had a talk with him.

The company's sales this quarter dropped by ten percent compared to last quarter. The general manager saw this as an early sign of market shrinkage and decided to adjust the marketing strategy.

The mother noticed that her five-year-old daughter would lose her temper whenever she encountered difficulties. Worried this was a sign of a willful personality, she began deliberately guiding her child to control her emotions.

Lately, the two of them quarrel over trivial matters. Their friends have all noticed the first signs of a breakup and urge them to communicate properly.

Doctors warn that if you often feel fatigued and your weight drops for no reason, this could be an early sign of diabetes, and you should go to the hospital for a checkup as soon as possible.

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