shou (首) — head, first, chief, a measure word for songs and poems in Chinese

simplified

traditional · same

shǒu

head (literary) · first · foremost · chief · leader · to confess · measure word for songs and poems

HSK 3 笔画 9 部首首 (itself) 声调第三声 (dipping) 量词 measure word (songs, poems) all shou readings →

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笔顺 bǐshùn · Stroke order

部首 radical (whole character) 书写 your drawing

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字源 zìyuán Etymology & Structure

字源洞见 zìyuán dòngjiàn · Etymological Insight

首 shǒu is a pictograph of a head. The oracle-bone and bronze forms draw a head seen in profile, with strands of hair above and an eye below. The modern glyph still preserves both: the strokes across the top stand for the hair (in some early forms a tuft or a horn-like crest), and the 目 (mù, eye) sitting underneath is the unmistakable face beneath that hair. Where 头 tóu is the everyday spoken word for a head, 首 is the older, more literary one, and it is this glyph that the dictionaries enshrine as its own radical.

As a radical 首 is rare, but it gives 道 dào (the way, a road one walks with the head leading) its head-element, and it heads its own short section in the dictionary. Far more often 首 lives inside two-character words, where its senses fan out from the single idea of the head, the part that goes first and leads.

From the head, the meaning radiates outward:

1. The head (literary). 昂首 ángshǒu (to hold the head high), 俯首 fǔshǒu (to bow the head).
2. First, foremost. 首先 shǒuxiān (first of all), 首要 shǒuyào (of prime importance), 首次 shǒucì (the first time), 首都 shǒudū (capital city).
3. Chief, leader, the one at the head. 首领 shǒulǐng (chieftain), 元首 yuánshǒu (head of state), 首相 shǒuxiàng (prime minister), 部首 bùshǒu (the heading radical of a character).
4. To confess, to give oneself up. 自首 zìshǒu (to turn oneself in to the authorities), where one bows the head before the law.
5. The measure word for songs and poems. 一首歌 yī shǒu gē (a song), 一首诗 yī shǒu shī (a poem).

The thread running through all of them is the head as the leading, foremost part: of a body, of a sequence, of a group, even the head-word that names a category.

构词 gòucí Word-Formation Patterns

构词规律 gòucí guīlǜ · One Head, Many Leads 首 as the literal head → 昂首 to hold the head high · 俯首 to bow the head · 自首 to turn oneself in
首 as first / foremost → 首先 first of all · 首要 of prime importance · 首次 the first time · 首都 capital
首 as chief / leader → 首领 chieftain · 元首 head of state · 首相 prime minister · 部首 radical
首 as measure word → 一首歌 a song · 一首诗 a poem · 几首曲子 a few tunes

昂首 ángshǒu The Head: To Raise It, To Bow It

昂首 ángshǒu to hold the head high; head raised

V 动词 dòngcí

昂 áng (to raise, to lift up) + 首 shǒu (head). To carry the head high, in pride or defiance. 昂首挺胸 "head high and chest out" is the stock image of someone walking with proud, confident bearing. Literary in tone; the spoken equivalent uses 头 tóu.

他昂首走进了会场。

Tā ángshǒu zǒu jìn le huìchǎng.

He walked into the hall with his head held high.

俯首 fǔshǒu to bow the head; to submit

V 动词 dòngcí

俯 fǔ (to bend down, to lower) + 首 shǒu (head). To lower the head, and by extension to yield or submit. 俯首听命 "to bow the head and take orders" describes obedient submission. The direct opposite of 昂首.

他不愿向权势俯首。

Tā bù yuàn xiàng quánshì fǔshǒu.

He was unwilling to bow his head to power.

自首 zìshǒu to turn oneself in; to confess to the authorities

V 动词 dòngcí

自 zì (oneself) + 首 shǒu (to bow the head, to confess). To give oneself up to the law of one's own accord, before being caught. A legal term: voluntary surrender that often earns a lighter sentence. The head bows itself before justice.

嫌疑人最后向警方自首了。

Xiányírén zuìhòu xiàng jǐngfāng zìshǒu le.

The suspect finally turned himself in to the police.

首先 shǒuxiān First & Foremost

语义洞见 yǔyì dòngjiàn · Semantic Insight

Once 首 names the head, it naturally names the head of a sequence: the thing that comes first and stands foremost. This is the most productive modern sense. 首先 shǒuxiān opens a list (first of all); 首要 shǒuyào marks the matter of highest priority; 首次 shǒucì labels the very first occurrence of something; 首都 shǒudū is the head-city, the capital that leads the nation.

This sense reaches into news and ranking too. 首位 shǒuwèi is first place or the leading position; 首选 shǒuxuǎn is the first choice, the top pick; 榜首 bǎngshǒu is the top of the chart or list. In each, 首 supplies the meaning "at the front, ahead of all the rest."

首先 shǒuxiān first of all; firstly; in the first place

ADV 副词 fùcí

首 shǒu (first) + 先 xiān (before, prior). The standard opener for an ordered list of points, often paired later with 其次 qícì (next) and 最后 zuìhòu (finally). Marks the very first item in a sequence of reasons, steps, or arguments.

首先，我们要确定目标。

Shǒuxiān, wǒmen yào quèdìng mùbiāo.

First of all, we need to settle on a goal.

辨析 biànxī · 首先 vs. 起初首先 orders points in a sequence: it means "the first item," and it sets up the next ones (其次, 然后). 起初 qǐchū orders time: it means "at first, in the beginning," describing how things were at the start before they changed, and it pairs with 后来 hòulái (later on). You list reasons 首先; you recall that 起初 you did not understand, but later you did.

首都 shǒudū capital city

N 名词 míngcí

首 shǒu (head, chief) + 都 dū (metropolis, city). The head-city of a country, its seat of government. 中国的首都是北京 "China's capital is Beijing." Note the reading: here 都 takes its first tone dū (city), not the toneless dōu (all).

北京是中国的首都。

Běijīng shì Zhōngguó de shǒudū.

Beijing is the capital of China.

首要 shǒuyào of prime importance; the foremost

ADJ 形容词 xíngróngcí

首 shǒu (first) + 要 yào (important). Marking the single most important matter, ranking above all others. 首要任务 "the primary task," 首要问题 "the chief problem." Stronger and more formal than 重要 zhòngyào (important), since it claims the top spot, not just high rank.

安全是我们首要的考虑。

Ānquán shì wǒmen shǒuyào de kǎolǜ.

Safety is our foremost consideration.

首次 shǒucì the first time; for the first time

ADV 副词 fùcí

首 shǒu (first) + 次 cì (time, occurrence). The first occasion on which something happens, common in news and formal writing. 首次访问 "a first visit," 首次公开 "made public for the first time." More formal than the spoken 第一次 dì-yī cì.

这是他首次来中国。

Zhè shì tā shǒucì lái Zhōngguó.

This is his first time coming to China.

首领 shǒulǐng Chief, Leader & the Measure Word

语义洞见 yǔyì dòngjiàn · Semantic Insight

The head of a group is its leader. 首领 shǒulǐng is a chieftain or boss of a band; 元首 yuánshǒu is the head of a whole state; 首相 shǒuxiàng is a prime minister, the chief minister. The same logic names the head-character of a writing system: 部首 bùshǒu, the radical, is literally the "section head" under which a character is filed in the dictionary.

Separately, 首 serves as the measure word, the classifier, for songs and poems: 一首歌 yī shǒu gē (one song), 一首诗 yī shǒu shī (one poem), 几首曲子 jǐ shǒu qǔzi (a few tunes). A poem or song is counted by its 首, much as 头 counts cattle, each piece a self-contained "head." This is the sense an HSK learner meets first and uses most.

首领 shǒulǐng chieftain; leader; head (of a group)

N 名词 míngcí

首 shǒu (head, chief) + 领 lǐng (to lead; the neck, the collar). The leader of a tribe, band, or organization. Carries a slightly traditional or martial flavor: the chief of a clan, the head of an outfit. 部落首领 "a tribal chieftain."

他是这个部落的首领。

Tā shì zhège bùluò de shǒulǐng.

He is the chieftain of this tribe.

部首 bùshǒu radical (the section head of a character)

N 名词 míngcí

部 bù (section, division) + 首 shǒu (head). The radical of a character: the head-element under which a dictionary groups it. 首 itself is a 部首. To look a character up in a paper dictionary, you find its 部首 first, then count the remaining strokes.

这个字的部首是什么？

Zhège zì de bùshǒu shì shénme?

What is the radical of this character?

一首歌 yī shǒu gē one song; a song

MW 量词 liàngcí

一 yī (one) + 首 shǒu (measure word) + 歌 gē (song). 首 is the classifier for songs and poems: 一首歌 a song, 一首诗 a poem, 一首词 a lyric. Each piece is counted as one self-contained "head." 唱一首歌 "to sing a song."

她为我们唱了一首歌。

Tā wèi wǒmen chàng le yī shǒu gē.

She sang a song for us.

一首诗 yī shǒu shī one poem; a poem

MW 量词 liàngcí

一 yī (one) + 首 shǒu (measure word) + 诗 shī (poem). The same classifier counts poems. 写一首诗 "to write a poem," 背一首诗 "to recite a poem from memory." A classical anthology is described as so many 首 of verse.

他给她写了一首诗。

Tā gěi tā xiě le yī shǒu shī.

He wrote her a poem.

成语 chéngyǔ Idioms & Set Phrases

首屈一指 shǒu qū yī zhǐ the first finger you bend to count: second to none, the very best Lit: first-bend-one-finger. When you count off the best on your fingers, this is the one you bend down first. Used to rank a person or thing as the foremost in its field. 他在这个行业首屈一指 "He is second to none in this industry."

群龙无首 qún lóng wú shǒu a flock of dragons with no head: a leaderless, directionless group Lit: flock-dragons-without-head. A phrase from the Book of Changes: many capable members but no one to lead them, so the group drifts. Used of an organization left rudderless after its leader is gone.

罪魁祸首 zuì kuí huò shǒu the ringleader of the crime and the chief of the disaster: the main culprit Lit: crime-chief-disaster-head. The principal wrongdoer, the one most to blame for an offense or calamity. Here 首 is the head, the ringleader. 他是这场事故的罪魁祸首 "He is the chief culprit behind this accident."

痛心疾首 tòng xīn jí shǒu pain in the heart and ache in the head: bitterly grieved and resentful Lit: pain-heart-ache-head. To feel grief and indignation so deep that heart and head both ache. Used for bitter regret or anger over a wrong or a loss. 对这种浪费，他感到痛心疾首 "He was bitterly grieved at such waste."

记忆法 jìyìfǎ · Master Retention Image

See the glyph as the drawing it is: hair along the top, an eye (目) looking out from below. That is a head, 首, the literary cousin of everyday 头. Now let the head lead. Hold it high and you are proud (昂首); bow it down and you submit, even before the law (自首). Put it at the front of a sequence and it becomes first (首先), foremost (首要), the head-city itself (首都).

Set the head over a group and it becomes the chief: the chieftain (首领), the head of state (元首), even the section head that files a character in the dictionary (部首). Last, count by it: a song, a poem, each a self-contained head, one 首. From hair-over-an-eye to the first of all things, every sense of 首 is the head out in front, leading.