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丑八怪 (chǒu bā guài) — (colloquial noun) an extremely ugly person; a freak; something hideous

Definition

A colloquial, mocking insult meaning 'ugly freak / hideous monster' — much stronger and ruder than just 丑 ('ugly'), and used on both people and animals.

noun
(colloquial noun) an extremely ugly persona freaksomething hideous
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 丑八怪，。
    Bié zài shuō tā shì chǒu bā guài le, tā tīng le huì nán guò.
    Don't keep calling him an ugly monster; he'll feel sad hearing that.
  • ？丑八怪！
    Nǐ zěn me chuān chéng zhè yàng? xiàng gè chǒu bā guài!
    Why are you dressed like that? You look like a freak!
  • 丑八怪，。
    Nà zhī xiǎo gǒu suī rán cháng dé xiàng chǒu bā guài, dàn xìng gé tè bié hǎo.
    That little dog, though it looks like a hideous thing, has a great personality.

Origin

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.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

八 shows two bent lines, indicating the original meaning 'to divide'; it was later used for 'eight' because the words sounded alike.

Open 八 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
圣
圣shèng怪guài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

怪 is built from 忄, a form of 心, which relates to mind or feeling, and 圣, which gives the sound.

Open 怪 →
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