源头 yuántóu source
source; origin; fountainhead
How to remember 源头: 源 spring + 头 head = source.
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How it is used
- Means the source/origin - 河流的源头 (héliú de yuántóu) the source of a river.
- Both literal (a river's headwaters) and figurative - 问题的源头 (the root of the problem); 从源头上解决 (solve it at the source).
- Concrete 'starting point' image; contrast 渊源 (yuānyuán, deeper background/lineage).