stumbled across this word
丒
and have no clue what it is. Context is 辛丒
Can anyone tell me how to spell it, and most importantly what does it mean? Thanks!
2 Answers
The character you posted is 丒 /chǒu/
“醜”的俗字。
丒 is a variant of 醜 (Traditional ) / 丑 (simplified)
2021 is a 辛丑年, the last 辛丑年 was 1961, the next one will 2081
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I don't know why all Chinese dictionaries indicate 丒 is the simplified 醜, as each has very different meanings and uses except the overlapping in ugly. chardb.iis.sinica.edu.tw/meancompare/4E11/919C– r13Dec 24, 2021 at 19:17
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That's why I use 辛丑 instead of 辛丒. 辛醜/丒 is wrong. 丑 is used as a traditional character when it means the second Earthly Branch (we write 丑時 not 醜時)– Tang Ho ♦Dec 24, 2021 at 19:19
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Now you know my concerns. The original Chinese word (繁體字) usually has the same meanings and uses as its simplified version (簡字). This is not the case though,– r13Dec 24, 2021 at 19:36
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The problem seems to be 丑 is now used as standard simplified 醜 and 丑 (繁體字), while 丒 was a simplified version of 醜 in the old days. And the dictionary is wrong to state 醜/ 丒 has the same meaning of the 繁體字 '丑'– Tang Ho ♦Dec 24, 2021 at 20:01
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丑 has these meanings:
ugly - 他長的好丑(醜).
disgraceful - 丑(醜)化, 丑(醜)事, 丑(醜)聞.
In the above usages, 丑 and 醜 are interchangeable.
clown - 小丑
2nd Earthly Branch - 丑时1～3点. (see note)
Note: Earthly Branch (地支) is an old Chinese ordering system. There are twelve Earthly Branches used to count time of years, months, and hours - 十二时辰：子时23～1点，丑时1～3点，寅时3～5点，卯时5～7点，辰时7～9点，巳时9～11点，午时11～13点，未时13～15点，申时15～17点，酉时17～19点，戌时19～21点，亥时21～23点。
ADD: In addition to time, the combination of Earthly Branches was used to indicate the numerical order of a year in the old Chinese calendar system (干支), which considered 60 years as a complete cycle. The last famously known Chinese year of 辛丑 is 1901 (Western Calendar). Then, by addition of 60, the following years of 辛丑 are 1961, 2021, 2081...
