羞 (xiū): shy, ashamed, shame
羞 (xiū) is a Chinese character meaning “shy.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 羊 (structural) and 丑 (structural). It ranks #2016 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 羞 an ugly 丑 sheep 羊. Its radical form 羊 (sheep) appears in many related characters such as 羊 (yáng, sheep), 美 (měi, (bound form) the Americas (abbr. for 美洲)), 群 (qún, group).
Definitions
- shy
- ashamed
- shame
Etymology & Origin
ideographicAn ugly 丑 sheep 羊
Decomposition: ⿸羊丑 (layout: surround-from-upper-left)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 羞 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 羞
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 羞辱noun | xiū rǔ | to humiliate |
| 羞耻noun | xiū chǐ | (a feeling of) shame |
| 羞愧adjective | xiū kuì | ashamed |
| 羞涩adjective | xiū sè | shy |
| 恼羞成怒phrase | nǎo xiū chéng nù | (idiom) to become enraged over a perceived humiliation |
| 羞怯adjective | xiū qiè | shy |
| 含羞草noun | hán xiū cǎo | mimosa |
| 遮羞布noun | zhē xiū bù | loincloth |
| 怕羞verb | pà xiū | coy |
| 羞于启齿 | xiū yú qǐ chǐ | to be too shy to speak one's mind (idiom) |
| 囊中羞涩phrase | náng zhōng xiū sè | to be embarrassingly short of money |
| 羞答答adjective | xiū dā dā | bashful |
| 遮羞verb | zhē xiū | to cover up one's embarrassment |
| 娇羞adjective | jiāo xiū | bashful |
| 闭月羞花phrase | bì yuè xiū huā | lit. hiding the moon, shaming the flowers (idiom) |
羞 appears in 34 compound words: 44 as the first character, 26 as the last, and 29 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 羞 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (5)
Example Sentences
这个羞字在古汉语中有不同的含义。
zhè gě xiū zì zài gǔ hàn yǔ zhōng yǒu bù tóng de hán yì .
The character "羞" (xiū) carries different meanings in classical Chinese.
...拒上台“再对空气质询” 李贞秀哭了:公然羞辱陆配立委
. . . jù shàng tái zài duì kōng qì zhì xún lǐ zhēn xiù kū le : gōng rán xiū rǔ lù pèi lì wěi
...Refusing to take the podium to "question the air" again, Lee Jung-soo broke down in tears: "This is a public humiliation of mainland-born legislators."
...途!33岁男星沉寂3年首发声:为懦弱感到羞愧
. . . tú ! 3 3 suì nán xīng chén jì 3 nián shǒu fā shēng : wéi 懦 ruò gǎn dào xiū kuì
...Journey! 33-Year-Old Actor Breaks His Silence After Three Years: 'I'm Ashamed of My Cowardice'
...屈膝态度遭狠批 日网民斥:夸张表情让我感羞愧
. . . qū xī tài dù zāo hěn pī rì wǎng mín chì : kuā zhāng biǎo qíng ràng wǒ gǎn xiū kuì
...Kneeling gesture draws fierce criticism; Japanese netizens slam it: "Those exaggerated expressions make me feel ashamed"
横眉冷看:他字典里没羞耻一词
héng méi lěng kàn : tā zì diǎn lǐ méi xiū chǐ yī cí
A cold, scornful glare: The word "shame" doesn't exist in his vocabulary.
...以“普林节”前夕袭伊:宗教宿命论与政治遮羞布
. . . yǐ pǔ lín jié qián xī xí yī : zōng jiào sù mìng lùn yǔ zhèng zhì zhē xiū bù
...Attacking Iraq on the Eve of "Purim": Religious Determinism and a Political Fig Leaf
他不因贫穷而感到羞愧。
Tā bù yīn pínqióng ér gǎndào xiūkuì.
He is not ashamed of being poor.
你应该为你的愚蠢感到羞耻。
Nǐ yīnggāi wèi nǐ de yúchǔn gǎndào xiūchǐ.
You should be ashamed of your folly.
我为你的卑鄙行径刚到羞耻。
Wǒ wèi nǐ de bēibǐ xíngjìng gāng dào xiūchǐ.
I am ashamed of your despicable deed.
对啊，她以前是一个很害羞的女孩。
Duì ā, tā yǐqián shì yī gè hěn hàixiū de nǚhái.
Yes. She used to be a very shy girl.
Character Family
羊 Radical Family — Characters sharing the sheep radical
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 羞 (xiū) mean in Chinese?
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What characters sound the same as 羞 (xiū)?
Is 羞 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 羞 with real-time feedback
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