村头 (cūntóu): entrance of a village

Meanings

1 entrance of a village
2 edge of a village
3 village outskirts

Characters

村

Examples

村头有一棵大槐树。

Cūntóu yǒu yì kē dà huáishù.

There's a big pagoda tree at the village entrance.

老人们常在村头聊天。

Lǎorénmen cháng zài cūntóu liáotiān.

The old folks often chat at the edge of the village.

Tips

culture

In rural China the 村头 — marked by an old tree, a stone tablet, or a small temple — is the traditional gathering spot for elders, where villagers wait for buses, pass rumors, and greet returning relatives. It's a stock image in rural literature (Mo Yan, Chen Zhongshi) and in propaganda-poster visual language.

grammar

头 here is a suffix meaning 'end/edge,' not 'head' — the same sense as in 街头 (street corner), 路头 (start of a road), 山头 (peak). Pair with 村尾 ('tail of the village,' the other end).