# update profile picture



## 82riceballs

Hi all,

I'm wondering what you would consider more natural for "change/update profile picture" (in a social media setting, e.g. Facebook, Wechat, etc)

變更大頭貼 (Facebook seems to prefer 變更, e.g. 變更大頭貼、變更封面)
更換大頭貼 (this one seems more intuitive to me -- 'replace' profile picture)

What do y'all think?


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## hx1997

In mainland, profile picture is 头像.

change profile picture: 换头像 (colloquial), 更换/修改头像 (more formal and commonly seen on an account settings page)

变更 is understandable, but not the normal word in that setting.


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## SimonTsai

修改 doesn't work. 變更 is normal to me.


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## albert_laosong

I think the differences between these words (更换，变更，修改）are quite small in this context, different persons may choose different words, but they will all be ok, but if I'm required to select the best one from these 3, I would prefer 更换， then 变更， then 修改。
It will be much easier in colloquial Chinese, most will just say something like 换个头像。


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## SimonTsai

I am in agreement with @albert_laosong that 更換 is the most preferable expression among these three.

By the way, neither 大頭貼 nor 頭像 is ideally accurate, but unfortunately, I cannot think of a better one.


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## albert_laosong

SimonTsai said:


> By the way, neither 大頭貼 nor 頭像 is ideally accurate, but unfortunately, I cannot think of a better one.


In mainland, 大头贴 can't be used to mean avatar or profile picture, I never tried 大头贴 in real life but if I understand it correctly it's just a head shot picture but decorated in computers to look beautiful or funny, of course it can be shrunk to be used as your avatar, but it's not the same as avatar.
and 头像should be the only word here I think, I can't think of a better one either.


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## hx1997

What do you mean "better one"? Aren't those (大头贴, 头像) the words used on all sorts of social media websites?


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## SuperXW

SimonTsai said:


> 修改 doesn't work. 變更 is normal to me.


修改 is idiomatic in Mainland because it makes sense to 修改资料, and 头像 is considered as on type of that.


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## SimonTsai

修 means to modify, or to make partial, typically minor changes to, rather than to replace, something.

For example, my current avatar here is two stick figures holding hands in a starry night. If I changed it into two figures standing away from each other, or removed the Milky Way, then I made a modification.

In contrast, if I replaced it with, just for the purpose of illustration, a picture of my prick, then this would be much more than a modification: The new profile picture would be entirely different from the original.


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## albert_laosong

SimonTsai said:


> 修 means to modify, or to make partial, typically minor changes to, rather than to replace, something.


Yes, that's why 修改 is not the best option, but even we native speakers don't pay much attention to these and each of the 3 words will have its share of users.


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## hx1997

I think it means 修改(个人资料中的)头像, not 修改头像(的内容). Changing profile pictures is considered a modification to one's profile, and it is only a minor change considering there are many other types of information in a profile.


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## brofeelgood

How about 更新 (refresh)?


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## albert_laosong

hx1997 said:


> I think it means 修改(个人资料中的)头像, not 修改头像(的内容). Changing profile pictures is considered a modification to one's profile, and it is only a minor change considering there are many other types of information in a profile.


you are quite right, a lot of people have similar view, so it's natural 修改 is also commonly used in this context. but some others might feel the profile picture is after all a picture, so modifying it shouldn't mean the same as replacing it.


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## SimonTsai

更新 certainly works.


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## albert_laosong

brofeelgood said:


> How about 更新 (refresh)?


most often we use 更新 when sth is old or expired, for example I 更新 my profile after my telephone number is changed. But I replace a profile picture prolly just because I don't like it anymore or it violates some regulations of the social media. So I think 更新 is not appropriate here.


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## stephenlearner

换头像
更新头像
更换头像
Roughly, they mean the same. So you can use any of them. 

修改头像 is OK. However, it is not as desirable as the phrases above.

变更头像 doesn't work.


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