家丑 (jiā chǒu) — family scandal; skeleton in the closet (a shameful family secret)

Definition

Literally 'family ugliness': a shameful family secret or scandal. Always used in set phrases like 家丑不可外扬 ('don't air your dirty linen in public').

noun
family scandalskeleton in the closet (a shameful family secret)

Examples

  • 家丑，。
    Měi gè jiā tíng dōu yǒu zì jǐ de jiā chǒu, dàn dà duō shù rén bú yuàn duì wài tí qǐ.
    Every family has its own shameful secrets, but most people are unwilling to mention them to outsiders.
  • “家丑”，。
    Sú huà shuō "jiā chǒu bù kě wài yáng", suǒ yǐ zhè jiàn shì yì zhí méi yǒu gōng kāi.
    As the saying goes, 'Don't wash your dirty linen in public,' so this matter has never been made public.
  • 家丑，。
    Tā jiā de jiā chǒu bèi méi tǐ bào guāng hòu, quán jiā rén dōu tái bù qǐ tóu lái.
    After his family's scandal was exposed by the media, the whole family felt ashamed and couldn't hold their heads up.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

家jiāfamily
丑chǒushame

“家” means family and “丑” means shame or disgrace, together giving a family scandal.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀miánroof
Sound part声符shēngfú
𢑓
𢑓𢑓家jiā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The early drawing of 家 showed a roof 宀 over a male-pig sign 𢑓 that gave the pronunciation; the lower part later changed shape.

Open 家 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 醜; 丑 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 丑 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words it is 醜; in others (丑) it is 丑.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
鬼鬼guǐghost, demon
Sound part声符shēngfú
酉
酉yǒu醜chǒu
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 醜 uses 鬼, a ghost or demon, to show ugliness and 酉 for sound; that shape is about 醜, not about 丑.

Open 丑 →

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