苗头 (miáo tou): 最初の徴候

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.