头条

• Pinyin: tóu tiáo
• Hanzi breakdown: 头 = first, head; 条 = 夂 + 木 — strip, item, article

Meaning

Headlines; front page news; top story; leading item.

The main or most prominent news story. Also the name of a major Chinese news app (今日头条). Being 'on the headlines' means gaining widespread attention, often unwanted.

Examples

1. 这条丑闻上了各大媒体的头条，闹得沸沸扬扬。 This scandal made headlines across all major media outlets, causing a huge uproar.
2. 他的新专辑发布立刻登上了娱乐头条。 His new album release immediately hit the entertainment headlines.
3. 没想到一场小事故让我们公司上了头条，真是始料未及。 We never expected a minor accident to put our company in the headlines — totally unexpected.

Usage Guide

Context: news, media, publicity

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 上头条。(To make headlines.)
• 头条新闻。(Headline news.)

Don't Say

• 把所有新闻都叫'头条' (头条 is specifically the lead story — regular news items are just 新闻)

Origin & History

头 means first/head, 条 means strip/item — the first/leading news item.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal