丢丑 (diū chǒu) — to lose face, to be disgraced (in public)

Definition

丢丑 means to lose face or be publicly disgraced — it implies a specific embarrassing incident, unlike the broader state of having no 面子.

verb

to lose faceto be disgraced (in public)

，丢丑。
Tā zài dà jiā miàn qián shuō cuò huà, zhēn shì diū chǒu.
He said the wrong thing in front of everyone — it was really embarrassing.
，丢丑。
Zhè cì bǐ sài shū le, tā jué de hěn diū chǒu.
He felt he lost face after losing this competition.
。
Tā bù xiǎng zài péng you miàn qián diū zhè ge chǒu.
She doesn't want to be disgraced in front of her friends.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

丢 means lose and 丑 shame, so losing one's shame gives lose face.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 丟; 丢 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 丟 is made of 一 (one) and 去 (to go; to remove); the simplified 丢 is a later shorthand, so its shapes are not the original parts.

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.

酉鬼醜

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.