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话头

話頭
huàtóu
noun #30,928

Meanings

  1. 1 topic of conversation; the thread of what's being said
  2. 2 (Chan/Zen Buddhism) huatou, a critical phrase used as a meditation key

Examples

他打断了我的话头。
Tā dǎduànle wǒ de huàtóu.
He cut off my train of thought / interrupted me mid-sentence.
她想换个话头，避开尴尬。
Tā xiǎng huàn ge huàtóu, bìkāi gāngà.
She wanted to change the subject to avoid the awkwardness.
禅师让弟子参一个话头。
Chánshī ràng dìzǐ cān yí ge huàtóu.
The Chan master had the disciple meditate on a huatou.

Tips

history
In ordinary speech 话头 is just 'thread/topic of talk'. In Chan (Zen) Buddhism, however, 话头 is a technical term: a critical short phrase — most famously 'who is dragging this corpse around?' — that the meditator holds in mind to break through discursive thinking. The technique was systematized by Song-dynasty Linji master 大慧宗杲 (Dahui Zonggao) and remains central in modern Chan retreats.
usage
Common verb collocations: 打断话头 'interrupt', 接过话头 'pick up the thread', 换个话头 'change the subject', 找话头 'cast about for something to say'.

Stroke Order

话 huà
头 tóu