甜头

• Pinyin: tián tou
• Hanzi breakdown: 甜 = 舌 + 甘 — sweet; 头 = noun suffix indicating a thing or part

Meaning

Benefit; advantage; sweetness (figurative). Something good gained from an action.

A colloquial term for benefits or rewards received from doing something. Often used in the phrase 尝到甜头 (to taste the sweetness, i.e., to experience the benefits). Can have slightly negative connotations when implying someone is motivated by self-interest.

Examples

1. 他尝到了投资的甜头，现在把大部分积蓄都投进了股市。 He's tasted the benefits of investing and now has put most of his savings into the stock market.
2. 有了第一次成功的甜头，团队士气大振，更加努力了。 After tasting the sweetness of their first success, the team's morale soared and they worked even harder.
3. 别给他太多甜头，不然以后他会得寸进尺。 Don't give him too many benefits, or he'll keep pushing for more.

Usage Guide

Context: business, strategy, everyday

Tone: colloquial

Do Say

• 尝到甜头了。(I've tasted the benefits.)
• 给点甜头。(Give some incentive.)

Don't Say

• 在正式场合用'甜头' (In formal contexts, use 利益 or 好处 instead of the colloquial 甜头)

Origin & History

甜 means sweet, 头 here is a noun suffix — the sweet part, the benefit.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal