丑

醜
chǒu
adjective HSK 5 #2,675

Meanings

  1. 1 ugly
  2. 2 shameful
  3. 3 hideous

Examples

HSK 1
Zhè jiàn yīfu zhēn chǒu.
This piece of clothing is really ugly.
HSK 2
Tā juéde zìjǐ zhǎng de hěn chǒu.
He thinks he looks very ugly.
HSK 7-9
Bié zuò diūrén chǒushì.
Don't do anything shameful.

Tips

history
The traditional character 醜 is much more complex than the simplified 丑. In classical Chinese, 丑 originally referred to the second Earthly Branch (used in the traditional calendar), not ugliness.
usage
丑 can describe appearance (ugly) or behavior (shameful/disgraceful). 出丑 means 'to make a fool of oneself.'

Components

ideograph
丑 chǒu
ugly; second Earthly Branch
Unitary abstract symbol fusing two senses: the second Earthly Branch and (after the 1956 reform) the negative 'ugly' that replaced traditional 醜. Indexed under Kangxi #1 一 (yī) by tradition, with no visible radical-element in the modern form. Historically pictured a hand with extended fingernails.

Filed under radical 一 (yī, #1) by convention. 一 is not a separate component in 丑, so no strokes are highlighted.

In Pop Culture

丑小鸭 Chǒuxiǎoyā
The Ugly Duckling
Andersen fairy tale; metaphor for ugly-to-beautiful transformation

Stroke Order

丑 chǒu