苗头

• 拼音: miáo tou
• 汉字拆解: 苗 = 艹 (grass radical) + 田 (field) — seedling, sprout; 头 = 头 — head, tip, beginning

含义

Early sign; initial indication; portent. The first barely perceptible sign that something — often something problematic — is beginning to develop.

Most commonly used to flag negative developments before they worsen (苗头不对 — something feels off). Appears in political reporting, medical analysis, and risk management discourse. Paired verbs: 看出苗头, 发现苗头, 压制苗头. Conveys early detection and proactive response.

例句

1. 经验丰富的班主任在学期初便察觉到班级纪律松散的苗头，及时召开家长会并调整了管理策略，有效遏制了问题的蔓延。
2. 市场分析师从连续三个季度的消费数据中发现了通货紧缩的苗头，建议政策制定者提前采取相应的财政刺激措施。
3. 外交官在双边谈判陷入僵局之前，已敏锐地捕捉到对方代表团措辞变化中流露出的强硬苗头，并迅速向国内汇报以调整谈判策略。

用法指南

语境: analysis, politics, risk management, education, journalism

语气: cautionary

正确说法

• 监管部门已注意到金融系统中出现的不稳定苗头，正在研究针对性的预防措施，以避免系统性风险的进一步积累。(The regulatory authorities have noticed signs of instability emerging in the financial system and are studying targeted preventive measures to avoid further accumulation of systemic risk.)
• 班级里有几个学生近期情绪波动明显，班主任担心其中潜藏着心理健康问题的苗头，计划安排学校心理咨询师进行个别谈话。(Several students in the class have shown noticeable mood swings recently; the homeroom teacher, concerned about possible early signs of mental health issues, plans to arrange individual counselling sessions with the school psychologist.)

错误说法

• 用'苗头'描述已经充分显现、广为人知的问题 — 苗头特指尚在萌发阶段、尚未完全暴露的迹象，若问题已经公开化或造成实质损害，应改用'迹象''征兆'或直接陈述问题本身 (Do not use 苗头 for problems that have already fully emerged and become widely known — 苗头 specifically refers to signs still in the initial stage before full exposure; if the issue has caused real damage, use 迹象 or 征兆 instead)

起源与历史

苗 = 艹 (grass radical) + 田 (field) — a seedling just emerging from the soil; 头 (head/tip) — the very tip or beginning. Together: the earliest visible tip of a seedling, extended to mean the first sign of a developing situation.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal