首脑
shoǔ nǎo · HSK 6
head
👑🧠 head + brain = the head brain, the leader at the top
首 means head or first, 脑 means brain. The leader of a state is literally the head-brain — the top mind running things. At a summit, the head-brains of nations gather.
首 — hair 丷 over face 自 (eye + nose)
首 is a pictograph of a head, originally drawn with hair on top and a face below (containing the eye element 目). It meant 'head' literally, then extended to 'chief, leader, first' since the head is the topmost and foremost part of the body.