(jìng tóu) - camera lens, shot in Mandarin
jìngtóuTraditional: 鏡頭
Translation
camera lens, shot
Word origin
镜 (jìng) is a mirror or lens, from 钅(metal) with 竟 as the phonetic, since early mirrors were polished bronze. 头 (tóu) is a head, used here in its extended sense of an end piece or fitting, as in a tap head or a pipe end.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 镜 (jìng, mirror, lens) + 头 (tóu, end piece)
Stroke order
镜
头
Examples
。
This shot was filmed very well.
。
He fitted a new lens.
。
The last shot in the film made me cry.
挡。
Please do not block the lens.
。
She gets nervous the moment she stands in front of the camera.
镜头 (jìng tóu) is the piece of glass on the front of a camera, and by extension the shot that comes out of it. Both senses are completely ordinary: a photographer buys a 镜头, and a film critic praises a 镜头.
It also stands in for the camera as a presence. 面对镜头 is to face the camera, and 抢镜头 is to steal the limelight by getting yourself into frame. Anyone talking about being filmed will reach for this word.
The trap is the 头 on the end. It is a full second tone here, not the light neutral suffix it takes in 石头 or 木头. Say jìng tou with a weak second syllable and native listeners will hesitate before working out what you meant.
Where this fits
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镜头: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "镜头" (camera lens, shot): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 57.