小丑
xiǎo choǔ · HSK 7
clown
🤡 小丑 = 小 small + 丑 ugly/grotesque -- a clown
丑 means ugly or grotesque, so 小丑 literally reads as small-grotesque, the made-up funny-grotesque figure we call a clown. 丑 is also a zodiac sign (the ox) and an old role type in opera, fitting the comic-performer sense.
小 — three small strokes around a central vertical
小 is a pictograph originally showing three tiny dots or specks, suggesting small particles or grains. Over time the dots became stylized strokes flanking a central line. The core meaning 'small' has stayed remarkably stable from oracle bone script to today.
丑 — hand 又 with claw-like nail strokes
丑 originally pictured a hand (又) with extended fingernails or claws gripping something, suggesting twisting or binding. It became the second Earthly Branch and a name for the ox in the zodiac. The modern 'ugly' meaning comes from later borrowing — it was adopted as the simplified form of unrelated 醜.