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Chinese Language Convo ClubAuthor: Chinese Language Convo Club
This podcast series offers a talk-show-style approach to exploring Chinese language and culture. As a long-time student of Chinese, Im joined by Vicky Zhang, my friend and a seasoned Chinese teacher. Alongside us, well sometimes feature a guest or twosome teaching Chinese, others stepping into the shoes of learners, just like me. Language learning is a collaborative journey, and we invite anyone with something to contribute to join us along the way. While were not an immersion-style podcast, our goal is to keep the lessons fun, casual, and informative. New Lessons weekly. Language: en-us Genres: Education, Language Learning Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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“上头” Doesn’t Mean What You Think… (4 Real-Life Uses Explained!)
Sunday, 29 March, 2026
Have you ever heard someone say “上头” (shàngtóu) and wondered what it means?In this episode, we break down one of the most commonly used (and confusing!) slang expressions in Chinese. From describing an addictive song to talking about getting tipsy, referring to your boss, or even just meaning “on top of something” — this word does it all.We start with a fun, natural dialogue about a super catchy song (“My Stupid Heart”), then walk you through 4 real-life meanings of 上头, with clear examples you can actually use in conversation.If you're an HSK1–HSK2 learner looking to sound more natural and understand real Chinese, this episode is for you.🎯 By the end, you’ll be able to:Understand 上头 in different contextsUse it naturally in daily conversationsSound more like a native speaker🇨🇳 中文：你有没有听过别人说“上头”，但是不太明白是什么意思？在这一期节目中，我们会带你深入了解这个在中文中非常常见、但又容易让人困惑的表达。从形容一首让人上瘾的歌，到表示有点醉了，再到指上级/领导，甚至还能表示在某个东西上面——“上头”其实有很多不同的用法！我们会先通过一个轻松有趣的对话（关于一首很上头的歌《My Stupid Heart》），然后帮你讲解“上头”的四种常见意思，并提供实用例句，帮助你真正掌握这个词。如果你是HSK1–HSK2的学习者，想要说得更自然、听懂更地道的中文，这一集一定不要错过！🎯 听完这一集，你可以：理解“上头”的不同用法在日常对话中自然使用这个词说中文更像母语者Vicky: 我最近听了一首特别让我上头的歌。叫 My Stupid Heart. 那个小孩特别可爱。不知道你有没有听这首歌？(Wǒ zuìjìn tīngle yī shǒu tèbié ràng wǒ shàngtóu de gē. Jiào “My Stupid Heart” Nàgè xiǎohái tèbié kě'ài. Bù zhīdào nǐ yǒu méiyǒu tīng zhè shǒu gē)I recently heard a song that’s super catchy. It's called “My Stupid Heart” That kid is so cute. I don’t know if you've heard this song or not?Lindi: 没听过。在哪儿可以听？(Méi tīngguò. Zài nǎ'er kěyǐ tīng?)No I haven’t. Where can I listen to it? Vicky：网上好像到处都是。你可以找一找。(Wǎngshàng hǎoxiàng dàochù dōu shì. Nǐ kěyǐ zhǎo yī zhǎo)It seems to be everywhere on the Internet. You can look for it.Lindi： 啊是吗？好的。那我一会儿在油管上查一下。(A shì ma? Hǎo de. Nà wǒ yīhuǐ'er zài yóuguǎn shàng chá yīxià)Oh really? Okay. I’ll check it out on YouTube in a little while. 上头：The 1st meaning:就是这首歌呀，一听就很容易去学，很想跟着一起唱，很容易上瘾就上头。(Jiùshì zhè shǒu gē ya, yī tīng jiù hěn róngyì qù xué, hěn xiǎng gēnzhe yīqǐ chàng, hěn róngyì shàngyǐn jiù shàngtóu)It's talking about a particular song, you only have to hear it once and you already know it, you also can’t help singing along. It’s a song that’s very addictive. 2nd Meaning: (Intoxicating, Goes to One's Head Quickly)如果你喝了一种酒，然后你一下子就觉得有点醉，你就可以说这个酒真让人上头。(Rúguǒ nǐ hēle yī zhǒng jiǔ, ránhòu nǐ yīxià zi jiù juédé yǒudiǎn zuì, nǐ jiù kěyǐ shuō zhège jiǔ zhēn ràng rén shàngtou。)If you drink a certain type of alcohol and right away start to feel a bit tipsy, you can say the alcohol really goes straight to your head. 3rd Meaning: (Upper Management)上头。。。你在中国的电视里面会经常看到，比如说有两个同事在说话， 假如说，我是同事A，你是同事B。然后我要是问你啊。。说。。你知道这件事情我们该怎么办吗？(Shàngtou... Nǐ zài zhōngguó de diànshì lǐmiàn huì jīngcháng kàn dào, bǐrú shuō yǒu liǎng gè tóngshì zài shuōhuà, jiǎrú shuō, wǒ shì tóngshì A, nǐ shì tóngshì B. Ránhòu wǒ yàoshi wèn nǐ a.. Shuō。。Nǐ zhīdào zhè jiàn shìqíng wǒmen gāi zěnme bàn ma?)You often see this on Chinese TV. For example, two colleagues are talking. Let's say I'm colleague A and you're colleague B. If I ask you…Do you know what we should do about this issue?如果你在中国呆的时间长了经常会有一些事情。如果你不知道该怎么解决你要去问的话，大家都会说“我们听上头的“。(Rúguǒ nǐ zài zhōngguó dāi de shíjiān chǎngle jīngcháng huì yǒu yīxiē shìqíng. Rúguǒ nǐ bù zhīdào gāi zěnme jiějué nǐ yào qù wèn dehuà, dàjiā dūhuì shuō wǒmen tīng shàngtou de。)If you stay in China for a long time, there will often be some issues. If you don't know how to solve them and you ask, everyone will say that we listen to the boss. 4th Meaning: (On Top of something)还有最后一个意思就是它可以表示一个。。。说“把这个盒子放在柜子上头”或者是说“在椅子上头坐着一只小猫”。。都可以。。(Hái yǒu zuìhòu yīgè yìsi jiùshì tā kěyǐ biǎoshì yīgè... Shuō “bǎ zhège hézi fàng zài guìzi shàngtou” huòzhě shì shuō “zài yǐzi shàngtou zuòzhe yī zhǐ xiǎo māo”.. Dōu kěyǐ.)The last meaning is that it can mean a... You can say "put the box on the top of the cabinet" or "there is a kitten sitting on the chair". It all works.
