---
title: "Qiantou Meaning: 牵头 (qiāntóu) Means “to take the lead”"
description: "牵头 (traditional 牽頭, qiāntóu) means “to take the lead; to spearhead”. Hear its tones, see what 牵 and 头 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/qiantou"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 牵头 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

牵头 qiāntóu

## to take the lead; to spearhead

## It can also mean

- to act as go-between

## Its characters

1. 牵 qiān to lead (by holding)
2. 头 tóu head

## In a sentence

这个项目由我们部门牵头。 Our department is leading this project.

**牵头**设计这套拼音的人，竟然是一位在华尔街工作过的银行家。

From [拼音是谁发明的？ · Who invented pinyin? The story of Zhou Youguang](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/who-invented-pinyin-zhou-youguang#library-word-81-83)

[More about 牵头](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E7%89%B5%E5%A4%B4)

## More words with 牵 or 头

- [从头 cóngtóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/congtou)
- [带头 dàitóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/daitou)
- [点头 diǎntóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/diantou)
- [低头 dītóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/ditou)
- [个头 gètóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/getou)
- [过头 guòtóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/guotou)
- [骨头 gǔtou](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/gutou)
- [回头 huítóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/huitou)
- [街头 jiētóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/jietou)
- [镜头 jìngtóu](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/jingtou)

## Keep 牵头 for Review

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[All 214 Chinese radicals](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-radicals)

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