丑小鸭

醜小鴨
chǒuxiǎoyā
popculture

Meanings

  1. 1 the Ugly Duckling (Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale)
  2. 2 (figurative) ugly duckling

Examples

《Chǒu Xiǎoyā》 shì yī gè guānyú chéngzhǎng de gùshì.
The Ugly Duckling is a story about growing up.
Tā xiǎoshíhòu shì gè chǒuxiǎoyā, xiànzài biàn de hěn piàoliàng.
She was an ugly duckling as a child; now she's very beautiful.

Tips

culture
Hans Christian Andersen's 1843 Danish fairy tale is widely taught in Chinese primary schools. The phrase 丑小鸭白天 ('ugly duckling becomes a swan') is a common metaphor for glow-ups and Cinderella-style transformations.

In Pop Culture

丑小鸭 Chǒu Xiǎoyā
The Ugly Duckling
Andersen's fairy tale (1843). In China, commonly used as a metaphor for late bloomers.

Stroke Order

chǒu
xiǎo