Definition
翘首 is a formal/literary verb-object compound (离合词) meaning 'to raise one's head' in the literal sense, and more commonly 'to eagerly anticipate' in the figurative sense. It is separable — you can insert particles like 着 or 了 between the two characters (e.g. 翘着首). The word often appears in set phrases like 翘首以盼 and 翘首以待, which are used in written Chinese or formal speech.
v.o.
to raise one's head (to look)(figurative) to eagerly look forward toto long for
Examples
- ，，。Tā zhàn zài shāndǐng, qiáo zhe shǒu, děngdài rì chū.He stood on the mountaintop, raising his head, waiting for the sunrise.
- 翘首。Chéngqiān shàng wàn de qiúmí zhèng qiáo shǒu yǐ pàn tāmen de qiúduì duóguān.Tens of thousands of fans are eagerly looking forward to their team winning the championship.
- 翘首。Tā qiáo shǒu qīdài zhe yǔ qīnrén chóngféng.She eagerly anticipated reuniting with her family.
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