牵头 qiāntóu to lead (an animal by the head)
to lead (an animal by the head); to take the lead; to coordinate (a combined operation); to mediate; a go-between (e.g. marriage broker)
怎么记住“牵头”: 牵 to drag + 头 head = to lead (an animal by the head).
汉字
用法
- To take the lead in coordinating a joint effort - 由市政府牵头 (yóu shì zhèngfǔ qiāntóu) with the city government taking the lead.
- Names who spearheads and pulls the parties together, not general 'leadership'; common in projects with many participants.
- Register: official/organizational; 谁牵头? (who's leading this?) is a natural work question.