扭头

• Pinyin: niǔ tóu
• Hanzi breakdown: 扭 = 扌 (hand/action radical) + 丑 (turned, twisted) — to turn; 头 = pictograph of a head with hair on top — head

Meaning

To turn one's head; to look back or sideways by turning the head.

Describes the physical action of turning one's head, typically to look in a different direction. Commonly appears in narrative and descriptive writing. 扭头看 (turn to look), 扭头就走 (turn and leave immediately — colloq. for abruptly leaving). The abrupt or decisive connotation distinguishes it from 回头 (turn back/look back), which can also imply returning.

Examples

1. 他听到身后有人叫他的名字，扭头一看，竟是多年未见的老同学，两人激动地握手相拥。 He heard someone call his name from behind, turned his head, and it turned out to be an old classmate he hadn’t seen in years; the two excitedly shook hands and hugged.
2. 孩子不情愿地跟着父母离开游乐场，走出几步便扭头，恋恋不舍地望着那些还在旋转的游乐设施。 The child followed his parents out of the amusement park unwillingly, and after walking a few steps he turned his head, looking back longingly at the rides still spinning.
3. 司机在路口等红灯时扭头看了一眼后座，确认乘客已系好安全带后才缓缓起步。 While waiting at a red light, the driver turned his head to glance at the back seat and only pulled away slowly after confirming the passenger had fastened their seat belt.

Usage Guide

Context: narrative, everyday life, body language

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 就在他准备转身离开的那一刻，她突然扭头叫住了他，低声说了一句让他此后多年都难以忘怀的话。(Just as he was about to turn and leave, she suddenly turned her head and called after him, murmuring a sentence that he would find difficult to forget for many years to come.)
• 课堂上老师讲得正起劲，坐在前排的学生却悄悄扭头与后排同学交谈，被老师一眼看见，当场点名批评。(The teacher was in the middle of an enthusiastic lecture when a student in the front row quietly turned their head to chat with a classmate behind them — the teacher caught them immediately and called them out by name in front of the class.)

Don't Say

• 将'扭头'与'回头'在所有语境中互换使用 — 扭头 focuses on the physical turning of the head; 回头 can also mean returning to a place or reconsidering; choose based on the intended meaning

Origin & History

扭 (to twist/turn) + 头 (head) — to turn the head

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal