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乌头

烏頭
wūtóu
noun #34,656

Meanings

  1. 1 aconite; monkshood (genus Aconitum, a poisonous medicinal plant)
  2. 2 (literary) a black-haired head — by extension, one's youth

Examples

乌头有毒，但加工后可以入药。
Wūtóu yǒu dú, dàn jiāgōng hòu kěyǐ rùyào.
Aconite is poisonous, but when processed it can be used as medicine.
乌头白发，岁月催人。
Wūtóu báifà, suìyuè cuī rén.
From black hair to white — time presses on us all.

Tips

culture
In traditional Chinese medicine 乌头 (Aconitum carmichaelii root) is a famous 大毒 (dà dú, highly toxic) herb that must be carefully processed (炮制 páozhì) before use — its derivatives 附子 (fùzǐ) and 川乌 (chuānwū) are core 'warming yang' drugs. Improperly prepared, it has caused many fatal poisonings.
memory
Two unrelated meanings collide here: literally 乌 (black) + 头 (head) = 'a black-haired head' — used poetically for youthful black hair, often paired with 白发 (white hair) to evoke aging. The plant name comes from the seed shape resembling a crow's (乌) head.

Stroke Order

乌 wū
头 tóu