献丑

獻醜
xiànchǒu
verb #43,346

Meanings

  1. 1 to show off one's poor skill
  2. 2 to put one's amateur effort on display

Examples

HSK 2
Wǒ chàng de bùhǎo, xiànchǒu le.
I don't sing well - please excuse my poor performance.
HSK 5
Nà wǒ jiù xiànchǒu gěi dàjiā tán yì shǒu ba.
All right, I'll embarrass myself and play one for everyone.

Tips

register
A polite, self-deprecating word used by the performer themselves before or after singing, playing, drawing, etc. Literally 'to present my ugliness'. Never used to describe someone else - saying 你献丑了 about another person would be an insult, not a compliment.
culture
Part of the Chinese repertoire of formulaic modesty (谦辞), alongside 拙作 ('my crude work'), 寒舍 ('my humble dwelling'), and 拙见 ('my poor opinion'). Saying 献丑了 even when you performed brilliantly is the expected courtesy.

Stroke Order

xiàn
chǒu